Misguided Misfortune
by ShadowBYeBYe
Summary: Final chapters in this gruesome tale are up.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello. If you have read my stories before you will know not to take these fore-warnings lightly. This story is a reverse damsal in distress. I will not go into detail but this story is rated T for a reason. I think it is better suited for older T, or those of you with open minds and hard stomachs. I do tend to delve into the darker side with far out plots. Let me know what you think and I will gladly reply.**

**Warnings: Strong Language. Vulgarity, and adult situations.**

**I don't own anything. No money, No avatar...No Zuko..and that's a shame.**

"Aang! I told you this wasn't a good Idea." Aang looked at Katara with a smile. He shook his head. As he washed the dirt off of his face at the small pond.

"They'll be fine."

"I don't know there Twinkle Toes. Sparky and Snoozles don't like each other, remember." Aang nodded and stood up looking at the two girls. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled widely.

"That's why I sent Haru with them." Katara shook her head.

"Zuko has only been with us for a few weeks. I still can't believe you trust him." Aang's face dropped a little as he shook his head.

"I can't believe you don't. He's on our side now. Everyone deserves a second chance." Katara crossed her arms over her chest and huffed.

"I know. I'm just worried. They have been gone almost all day." Toph shook her head.

"They just went to get supplies in town." Aang nodded and looked at Katara.

"Yeah, Katara, what could happen?"

Sokka could feel the blood pumping wildly in his head as he began to regain consciousness. His eyes hurt and his head felt like it was going to explode. He pushed himself up a little way and nausea over took him. He laid back down on the wood floor and took a few deep breaths. He sat up slowly and tried to opened his eyes, but they felt swollen. He picked his hand up and ran it over his neck. He winced as his finger found a small hole. He groaned and opened his eyes looking down to see why his shoulder was on fire. He squinted his eyes against the dark and noticed that his shoulder was red and swollen at the joint, and really resembled a hunk of meat. He tried to clear his throat from the scorching dryness that had over taken it.

He looked around blinking into the darkness until his eyes focused. It didn't take him long to realize he was in a cage. His heart leapt and started playing hop-scotch in his chest. He looked around the cage and he felt his body freeze.

Haru was laying on the other side of the cage and looked as if he was a discarded doll. His hair was out and spread out widely around him. Sokka crawled over and rolled the boy onto his back. Sokka frowned. Haru's face had been shaved and his hair let out, but there was something different that caught Sokka's attention. He leaned over him and looked at the boy's neck closely. There were three small holes that appeared to be deep. They were in the shape of a triangle and the edges around the circles were swollen and black with bruising. Sokka frowned as he tore a piece of his shirt and wiped off some of the puss that was oozing from the holes. He pushed the fabric against Haru's neck and looked around.

The large room they were in was full of cages along the edges of the room. He looked at the cage around and frowned. Haru and himself were in a wooden cage, top bottom and bars were all wood.

"Sokka..." Sokka looked around until he caught a glimpse of the person in the next cage. Zuko was shaking his head as he pushed himself up. Sokka frowned. He would have thought Zuko would have been behind this, but obviously not. Sokka started to crawl away from Haru but realized that his shoulder wasn't going to let him crawl. He hissed and sat up clutching his arm.

"Zuko? What's going on?" Zuko sat up holding his head and looked around. He let out a string of curses and looked back at the other boy.

"I have no idea. But we're in cages." Sokka growled as the pain in his shoulder throbbed.

"I knew that!" He hissed again as he tried to move his arm.

"Come here." Sokka jumped as he heard a voice break behind him. He turned around stiffly and looked at the man in the cage next to him. A man a little older them himself was reaching his hand out towards him.

"I'm the least of your worries in hear. Now come here and I'll fix your shoulder." Sokka started to make a wise-ass come back but a shot of pain screamed through his shoulder, down his arm to his finger tips and back up again. He moved over against the cage and got a good look at the man. He had deep blue eyes and the dark brown hair that gave him away as water tribe.

"Your water tribe." The man nodded and looked up at Sokka.

"And your in trouble. Now clench your teeth and do NOT yell." The man said. Sokka didn't have time to ask him what he meant. The man grabbed Sokka' arm and jerked it up and shoved it hard against his body. Sokka bite his tongue hard as he fought back a shriek. The man smiled and patted Sokka on the shoulder and caused him to wince.

"What do you mean we are in trouble?" Zuko said his hands wrapped tight around the black stone bars that cage him. The water tribe man looked across the cage at him.

"You just are." He hissed as he settled back against his wooden cage. Zuko growled and looked around the large room.

"Quit playing with them Kercha." A smooth voice hissed from behind the cage Zuko was in. The boys turned and looked at the man in a cage made from the same black stone that Zuko was in. He looked over at the boys and his yellow eyes seemed to glow in the dimly lit room.

"You are here because someone wants you as a part of a collection." Kercha shook his head as the other man stated a rather blunt but terrifying sentence.

"You are a bastard Vitani." Vitani looked across the cage as a small half hearted smile pulled at the corner of his lips.

"It's kept me from becoming a pet." Sokka frowned and shared a glance with Zuko before he looked over at the man.

"What does that mean?" Before Vitani could answer a soft laugh began to ring through the room. Vitani turned and glared at the man in the cage next to him.

"Don't worry kiddies. Xia will love you if your nice. I personally like being a pet." Sokka could hardly see the man that owned the voice. But Zuko could see him rather clearly. He was a small man with light brown hair barely touching his ears. He had bright green eyes and had a very feminine appearance that matched his voice. Zuko stated to ask another question but Vitani shot across his cage and grabbed the man by the neck.

"Mark me, Hiiu, we get out of this I will kill you." Vitani dropped the man in coughs and sputters. Vitani sat back against the cage. He was in his twenties and built like a solider. He had angled tattoos going down one arm and around the back of his neck. His black hair was pulled tight into a high pony tail. It hit Zuko then. He was a Black-Shade. A group of highly skill assassins that did his father's dirty work. They were very rare to see and even more rare to be caged.

"How are you in here? Why can't I bend?" Zuko said keeping his eyes on Vitani's. Vitani rolled his head to the side to look at Zuko. He brought his hand up and tapped the bars with his knuckle.

"Moon stone. It weaken's our ability to bend." Kercha shook his head and grunted causing Sokka to turned to look at him.

"Not only that. But we are three hundred feet underground. No sunlight. No moon light. No fire." Sokka frowned.

"Are you a bender?" Sokka ask. Kercha turned his blue eyes to the boy and nodded.

"Yes I am. Can't take water form there air, there is none. Can't pull water from the wood cage you are in because it is so dry. .." A voice chimed up behind him. Another man.

"We have been trying to wear down the metal bars with sweat but...when you are dehydrated it doesn't work that well." Sokka looked at the man. He was another young man of the water tribe. He had hair past his shoulders with half of it tied back. He wasn't over twenty five. Sokka felt his neck began to hurt. He looked over at Haru and shook his head.

"What's going to happen to us?" He said his voice echoing through the dense cavern.

"You really don't want to know kid." Vitani said shutting his eyes and shaking his head. Hiiu laughed again, sending the velvet laughter ringing off of the walls.

"Xia will take you into his bed and make you into a toy. You will be used to his pleasure and kept in his collection." Hiiu began to laugh but was cut off when the man in the cage behind his grabbed him by the hair and jerked hard causing him to knock his head against the bars.

"SHUT UP! Hiiu, you speak that way because you enjoy it. While we are forced into submission with the needle." This man was another young man. Sokka shook his head. This was a nightmare. It had to be. He had eaten to many of the scabbaberries and now his over active imagination was punishing him. Zuko looked to Vitani with a scowl on his face.

"Needle?" Vitani nodded and again rolled his head lazily to look at the young fire bender.

"It is a three pronged needle, filled with turtle-scorpion venom to cause unconsciousness, and platy-duck venom to make your body numb." Sokka squinted his eyes and noticed the scared over marks on Vitani's neck.

"How many times..." Vitani's harsh eyes cut off his question.

"Being trained as I was we were injected daily with turtle-scorpion venom so that our immunity would be built up." Sokka turned and looked at Kercha who had his hand protectively over his neck.

"I wasn't so lucky." Sokka shook his head and looked down at Haru as he started to wake up. Sokka crawled over to Haru, being easy on his still tender shoulder. Haru blinked open his eyes and groaned. He doubled over and rolled to his side holding his stomach.

"Shit..." He groaned as he felt like his stomach was going to explode from his gut. He felt like something was rolling in his intestines and pushing against his skin. Sokka grabbed him by the shoulders and helped him to sit up. He heard something hit the bars behind him and he turned to look at Kercha. His hands were wrapped around the bars and he was shaking his head.

"Don't move him. The venom is in his stomach right now, you don't want to circulate it." Kercha said. The man behind him nodded.

"Yes, if you move him the stomach will absorb the venom and it will be spread through his body by his blood." Zuko shook his head as he turned away from that conversation. None of this was making any sense to him. There seemed to be nothing but men in the cages, benders of all sorts, but then there was Vitani.

"How did you get captured?" Vitani looked at the young fire bender.

"You obviously know who I am. I was captured the same way you were. I was one a solo mission. What do you remember last before waking up?"

"We were going to the village to get supplies..." Zuko frowned as he tried to force his mind to remember.

"Let me guess." The man that had knocked out Hiiu shook his head as he laid down on the floor of his cage. "You were walking along and were attacked by killer ant-bees." Sokka nodded and looked to Zuko.

"That's exactly what happened."

"No. It's not." Vitani growled and shook his head. Kercha nodded and looked at the three young men.

"Suti's right, but so is Vitani. That was what you thought happened." Sokka looked back to Suti, the man who had laid down in the cage.

"What does he mean?" Suti looked up and shook his head. He set his head down on his arms looking in the other direction. Sokka growled and shook his head.

"Will someone please explain what is going on?" Sokka looked at Vitani, who wasn't giving him a friendly look. He turned to look at Kercha and the other man. They were quiet as well. Sokka looked over at Zuko was looking towards the other end of the room.

"Sokka. Shut up now." Sokka followed Zuko's gaze as two extremely large men drug a man into the room. Kercha gasp and turned to look at the man in the cage next to him.

"Teruit, they broke Juga." Teruit turned to look at Kercha and hiss a silence warning towards him. The two large men threw the man into a cage and walked to the center of the room. They both looked around then went back to the door. They began to walk in opposite directions along the cages. The man with black hair stopped in front of Suti's cage. He kicked at the cage causing Suti to jump up from the floor. He looked over into Hiiu's cage and shook his head. He opened the cage door and flung the small unconscious man out into the middle of the room.

He continued on his walk and stopped in front of Vitani's cage. He bent over and looked at Vitani with a smile.

"Get away form me Brutus." Vitani hissed. The man smile widened as he leaned against the cage.

"Are we going to go through this again?" Vitani hit cage door and landed his knee in the man's gut. Brutus stumbled backwards then straightened up.

"We will break you yet." Vitani snarled his nose and spat on the large man. Brutus narrowed his eyes and wiped the spit from his face. He shook his head and looked into the next cage. Zuko glared at him with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I see you're awake." Zuko glared at the man.

The other man stopped in front of Kercha's cage. He looked in and shook his head. He turned to look at the cage next to his. He walked over and looked down into the cage with the two boys.

"Ah, good to see that the venom has worn off." Sokka growled and pulled the still drunk Haru close to him.

"Fuck off!" The bald man growled and jerked a set of keys from his belt.

"You little..!"

"Angus! Brutus! I said check them. Not aggravate them." A voice sounded over the room. Angus and Brutus straightened and turned around. Sokka frowned and glanced at Zuko. Then looked back around the large men. A man stood in the middle of the room knelt down next to Hiiu. He stood up with an almost liquid grace. He had white hair pulled back in a ponytail that hung near to the floor. He had bright blue eyes that pierced the darkness of the room. Sokka frowned as an uncanny resemblance of Yue stood in front of him. The man had very soft features and was exactly what he could see his sister fawning over. He was completely covered in a floor length black fur coat.

"You did harm this one against my wishes did you, Brutus?" Brutus shook his head.

"No, Xia. He was unconscious in the cage. I figured he was dead or dying." Sokka glared at the man. Xia. So this was the man they had been talking about.

"He is not. Take him up to the infirmary. I did hear that you have found me some rather new pets?" The man's voice was an animal all of it's own. It reminded Zuko of the cabbits they had back home, soft and light. Zuko watched the man walk over to them. If Zuko hadn't know this was a man before hand he would have swore it was a woman.

Xia bent over and examined Zuko first. He looked over him and shook his head. He stood up and looked at Brutus.

"Why this one?" Brutus took a deep breath and looked at the shorter man with a look a fear in his eyes. Zuko frowned. This man was twice the size of the smaller one and he looked at him in fear.

"His body, and the unscarred part of his face, master." Xia made an o of understanding and looked back into the cage.

"Come to me." He said in a sweet voice to Zuko. Zuko narrowed his eyes and kicked the cage right in front of Xia's face.

"I'd rather burn." Xia's face only softened. He stood up and looked at his two large bodyguards.

"I like a good fiery one. Good job boys." Xia walked over and knelt down looking into the cage Sokka was in. He looked at Sokka for a moment then dropped his eyes to look over Haru. Xia put his hand through the wooden bars and ran his hand over Haru's hair. He shivered and nodded.

"Soft. Very soft." He brought his eyes back up to look at Sokka. He reached his hand up to touch Sokka but he jerked away from the hand. Xia smiled and stood up.

"Very good. I like a good challenge, and you have brought me two that I know of. I only wish you hadn't have drugged the pretty one up so much." Brutus and Angus lowered their heads.

"Sorry." Xia turned to look at the others in the room. He walked over to Teruit's cell. He smiled and turned to Angus and Brutus.

"This one tonight." Teruit moved to the very back of the cage as Xia disappeared through the large metal door. Angus took Hiiu and disappeared as well. Brutus grabbed a large metal pole from the wall and attached a long vile to the end. Sokka watched with wide eyes as Brutus walked over to the cage with the three pronged pole. He stabbed the pole in but Teruit dodge it jumping to the other side of the cage. Brutus growled and again lunged the pole at the man. Teruit kicked the pole to the side and moved to the other side of the cage. Brutus growled again and stabbed at the man, but this time when he moved to the other side Brutus grabbed him by the ankle and drove the prongs into his leg. Teruit went stiff for a moment then his entire body relaxed onto the cage bottom. Brutus took the pole and placed it back on the wall with the others.

He returned to the cage and opened it. He picked the man up and took him out of the room. Sokka turned to look at Zuko and Zuko turned to look at Vitani.

"Welcome to hell kiddies." Vitani growled. Kercha shivered as he leaned back against the bars.

"Xia is a collector of beautiful men. He uses killer ant-bees raised by his hand and fed his venom for years to collect us. They sting you and you think it is nothing but a insect bite then you wake up here. I've been here for three weeks."

"I've been here a month. But I will get out and kill that bastard." Vitani growled. Zuko shook his head.

"We are getting out of here, Sokka."

"Not shit, Zuko."

**Okay I tried to cover all of "How did that happen" kinda things and the "yeah right that would never happen" kinda things. I wanted to lay it all out and still keep some of my aces in my sleeve. Let me know what you think. Review! Review! Review!!**


	2. Chapter 2

Sokka leaned back against the wooden bars and looked out at the men in the other cages. This had to be a nightmare. There was no way that this was a possibility. He turned and looked at Haru and shook his head. It had been a few hours and Haru was completely awake. The marks on his neck had swollen a little, but were no longer bleeding of oozing. Sokka looked over at Zuko and let out a huff.

"Any ideas?" Zuko shot Sokka a glare and shook his head. He brought his hand up and pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel the headache settling in between his eyes. He dropped his hand and leaned his head back against the bars.

"No." Haru looked up over at Sokka and shook his head.

"If we could get out of the cages we'd be home free." Sokka nodded and looked at the young Earth bender.

"Yeah, but what about the rest of these guys?"

"He''s right Haru. For one, there is no justifiable reason that these men should be caged. And two, Aang and Katara would never let any of us live it down." Haru nodded as he looked across the cage at Zuko.

"I couldn't stand either of them mad at me. They would drive you crazy with guilt." Sokka let an amused smile grace his lips for a moment. It was a small smile, not like his usual grin.

"What is with you and my sister anyway? Are you two going to get together or what?" Haru frowned at Sokka shooting invisible daggers in his direction.

"I don't think this is the time for that Sokka." Haru said as a light blush crossed his face. Zuko frowned and shook his head.

"Hn. She''s probably to wrapped up in Aang." At this comment he got dirty looks from Haru and Sokka. Zuko smirked and rolled his head to the side to look at Haru.

"Don't tell me you two haven't noticed their little way of acting around each other?" Sokka caught something in Zuko's voice and cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Jealous?" Zuko frowned and turned to fully face them.

"Of what?" Sokka shook his head. This was too much. Too much love drama for the shit they had going on anyways. He leaned his head back again and looked over at Vitani.

"Vitani. Is there anyway of getting out of these cages?" The fire bender looked at him for a moment and shook his head.

"If these cages were tall enough to stand up in then one of you could possibly kick the wooden bars to breaking." Kercha laughed behind Sokka and touched Sokka's shoulder through the bars.

"You have to stand up to get enough power behind the force of your kick." Haru looked over at Kercha and frowned.

"How many people have tried to escape from here?"

"Thousands……" Haru turned to look up at Xia. He jumped away from the cage and moved to the back next to Sokka. Xia bent down and looked over them. He smiled as he looked directly at Haru.

"You look much better when you aren't drugged. I can tell that you will be one of my best prizes." Haru shook his head as a hard look took over his face.

"I am not an object. I belong to no one."

Xia smiled softly. He truly was a beautiful man, and appeared to be so soft tempered, but there was something there, something faintly moving behind that peaceful face that proved a viciousness hide behind those blue eyes.

"You are no object, my love. You are a treasure; a rarity that the Earth kingdom often surprises me with." Haru narrowed his eyes and just glared at the man. Xia stood up and turned to look at the door. He walked over to Vitani's cage and knelt down, his black fur coat pooling around his feet.

"I have a friend for you. Will you be nice?" Vitani snarled up at the man.

"Go fuck yourself." Xia smiled and shook his head.

"I think you will have a different opinion in a few seconds." Xia stood up and turned around again to look at the door. Angus and Brutus walked in dragging something behind them with difficulty. Vitani's eyes narrowed as he focused in on the man they were fighting to drag. His hands and feet were cuffed in metal covers. Vitani felt his stomach turn as he recognized the metal covers. The man's mouth was covered as well with a metal band. After Vitani forced himself to look at the man instead of the metal, a growl started low in his throat. Vitani hit the cage door with all of his might, and grabbed Xia's leg and jerked it against the cage, Causing Xia to hit the floor. Xia turned his eyes calmly to look at Vitani.

"Let go of my leg." Vitani snarled his nose and did as he was told. His eyes locked on the man about the time the man's eyes set on him. The man instantly became still. Xia reached down and opened the pad lock on the cage as Angus and Brutus threw the man in, cuffs and all and slammed the cage door. Brutus bent down and helpt Xia to stand up. Vitani grabbed the man and pulled him to the back of the cage. He turned and snatched the key for the cuffs out of Angus's hand.

Sokka watched as Xia and his brutes walked out and shut the large metal doors behind him. Sokka and Haru crawled over to the bars that bordered Zuko''s cage and watched to see if Vitani was going to kill the new man or what. Vitani cussed as he unlocked the cuffs with the tiny key. He threw them to the side of the cage once he got them off of the man''s feet, then the ones on his hands. Vitani hastily unlocked the mouth bar and tossed it aside.

He looked over the man and ran his hand over the man's face where the bar had been. Zuko frowned as he watched the new man lean into Vitani's hand. Vitani sat back on his heels and shook his head.

"Kilani, did they hurt you?" The man shook his head and worked his jaw side to side. Vitani nodded and looked at the steel door.

"Good. Those bastards would have harmed a single hair on your head I would have personally gutted them each." Vitani's cold eyes turned to look at all the eyes staring at him. He narrowed his eyes and shook his head.

"Meet my brother."

Kilani stretched his hands and looked around. His eyes settled on Zuko and a samll smile spread across his face.

"Glad I'm not the only fire-bender that has been caught." Kilani was almost a mirror image of his brother. His hair was pulled back in a low pony tail, and his eyes had more orange in them. Zuko narrowed his eyes as he looked at the two. They were identical. It wasn't a rare thing for the Fire Nation to have twins, just unusual for them both to be the same sex. Vitani snarled and shook his head as he looked over his brother's arms, at the multiple stingers still in Kilani's skin.

"What were the metal cuffs for?" Sokka ask. He thought he might know but he wanted to make sure. Vitani shot him a glare and ignored his question. Kilani frowned at his brother and looked over at Sokka.

"We''re fire benders. So I would think that, the metal covers our hands and feet to keep us from using flames against them. It has to be that." Kilani looked down as his brother scraped each stinger out of his arm. "Where the hell am I anyway?"

"You answered your own question, my friend." Kercha said with a smile. Hiiu brought his eyes up to look at the newcomer for the first time. He had come back only a short while before Kilani was drug in.

"The metal is a precaution. To make sure you don't harm Xia or any of his pets." Kilani looked at him and frowned. Haru shook his head.

"Then he has been burned before." Haru said looking at the small Earth Kingdom man. Hiiu nodded as he hugged his knees to his chest. He wasn't going to risk getting close to the bars. He looked over at Zuko and the two brothers.

"If you see him without the coat, you will see the scars that are on his back." Zuko narrowed his eyes and glared at the man.

"We have all seen the scars flames leave behind. I really don't plan on being here long enough to see them. We are getting out of here." Sokka nodded.

"How can we get out?" Sokka said looking over at Haru.

"Again?" Haru said and looked at the two. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the bars. He thought for a moment and then snapped his eyes open. He turned and looked at Sokka and hit him on the shoulder.

"I have an idea."

Sokka and Zuko both sat up straight and looked at the boy. Haru crawled over to the bars so that they could hear him without him having to yell.

"All the water benders in here have been deprived of water. We need a water bender in here that is powerful and hydrated." Zuko nodded.

"That could be Aang or Katara, but why stop there. If we could get both of them and Toph in here, we'd clean this place out in no time, once we were out there would be no hinderance to our bending either." Sokka smiled.

"Yeah, that's good. Only problem is, how do we get out of here?" Sokka ask as the smile faded from his face. Zuko frowned and looked at Haru who was frowning himself.

"Dammit. I hadn't got that far yet." Haru growled and shook his head. Vitani leaned back against the cage and laughed. Kilani frowned at his brother and shook his head. Vitani looked over at the three young men and smiled weakly.

"If any of you can get out, you got me beat." Vitani said as the smile melted away. Kercha nodded and looked at them.

"We have all tried." He looked out around the cages. Each cage having a man in it, or some of them even had two. "We have exhausted all of our ideas." Haru shook his head.

"No. I have been caged before. I will not be caught again. I am not staying in here." Haru said and looked up at the ceiling.

"Only one of us would need to get out." Sokka said looking at the other two. Zuko frowned and crossed his legs.

"So which one of us is going to get out and get the others?" Zuko said as he narrowed his eyes. Haru shook his head.

"I don't think we can decided. I mean it won't be our decision. We'll have to wait until that man comes for one of us." Hiiu laughed out loud then at the sound of that.

"If that is your plan little boy, you may be waiting for years. Look around you. There are seventy eight men in here, counting you three. Xia picks and chooses the ones he wants and at what times. You three haven't been broken. It will take at least two weeks to break you." Vitani kicked at the bars between his cage and Hiiu's.

"You need to shut up. You just really need to shut up. I'm really surprised no one has killed you yet." Kilani frowned at his brother and knocked him across the shoulder.

"Vitani!" Vitani looked at his brother with a dark glare.

"Wait, Kilani. Just wait. You will see why I have threatened him. You will see that this little worm will throw you into the flames to watch you burn." Kilani frowned.

"Regardless. You do not threaten to kill someone without the order to do so." Vitani narrowed his eyes and shook his head.

"I have already promised him death. I get out of here, he will die." Sokka looked over at Hiiu while the siblings argued.

"Break us? Kercha hasn't been broken yet. Neither has Vitani." Hiiu looked at Sokka for a moment then glanced at Vitani.

"Vitani is one that burned him." Hiiu said with a small voice. Vitani stopped mid-argument and looked at Hiiu. Vitani glared at the boy and leaned against his cage.

"Better to burn then get burned." Zuko had grown up with that expresison but he had an idea start to formulate in his mind.

"Wait...explain that." Hiiu's eyes grew a little wider and he shook his head looking over at Vitani. Zuko turned and looked at Kercha who turned his head to look in the other direction. Zuko narrowed his eyes and turned back to look at Vitani. He was deathly still and his eyes were locked on Zuko. He narrowed his eyes and glareda t Vitani.

"Since no one else care to elaborate...?" Zuko said as he cocked his eyebrow. Vitani shook his head and looked over to the center of the circular room.

"When I was first brought in here, Xia thought I would be an easy break. He picked me my first night here, I was stabbed several times with the needle." Vitani's yellow eyes seemed to be looking at somethign that wasn't there. "I wasn't knocked out but I became drunk from the venom. They threw me into one of the rooms beyond that iron door. I was in there for fifteen twenty minutes maybe when Xia came in. He thought that with my being at a disadvantage I would be unable to bend. But he was wrong." Vitani said as small smile curled at the corner of his lips. He shook his head and turned back to look at Zuko.

"He was dead wrong. I was coming to my senses a little by then anyway. He dropped that fur coat and walked over to me. He took that last step and bent over to pick me up and I knocked him backwards. I kicked him in his stomach making him roll over and I sent a flame up his back turning his white shirt to charcoal. I jumped up and grabbed him pinning his arms behind him. I can remember grabbed a hand ful of his hair, jerking his head back hard and telling him to let me go. I can remember looking at those blue eyes and becomign paralyzed with fear. He was calm. Even though I was seconds away from snapping his neck, he looked at me as nothing was happening." Vitani frowned and seemed as if he were concentrating. Fishing a memory up from the back of his mind. He shook his head and looked back to the center of the room.

"The next thing I remember I woke up in the center of the room over there. My wrists were chained to the floor. My hands and feet were covered int he metal covers. I had that bar painfully hinged across my mouth.My shirt was gone and there were these on my back." Vitani said turning his back to Zuko. Sokka and Haru strained to see. Sokka frowned as he looked at the man's back. Tiny spots ran down his back on either side of his spine. They were red and perfectly round.

"What is that?" Haru ask. Vitani shrugged and shook his head. Zuko frowned. Something was very off about this entire situation. Why was he unable to remember? And how did he go from having competely control of the situation to being in chains? His thought process drew short as Angus and Brutus walked into the room. Angus was quick to shut the door behind them. A loud clank signaled that the large lock on the door had been set.

"Fuck..." Vitani hissed and pushed his brother to the back of the cage. Kercha grabbed Sokka by the shoulder and pushed him backwards away from the door. Sokka frowned and looked around. All of the men were moving further back into their cages. So he did the same, followed close by Haru. Zuko frowned and moved back as well.

Brutus crossed his arms in front of his chest and stood in front of the door. Angus looked around and made a b line towards Sokka and Haru's cage. Sokka's eyes grew wide. _What the hell is it now?!_ Angus knelt down and looked into the cage. He looked at Sokka and raised a large finger to point at him.

"You. Come here." Sokka cocked his eyebrow at him and shook his head.

"You are out of your fucking mind." Sokka growled at the large man. Angus wrapped his hands around the bars, and Brutus began to say something to him but before he could get his cautionary warning out, Sokka landed his foot hard against the man's fingers. Angus ripped his hand away from the wooden bars, sending blood splattering on the floor. He growled as he torn a chunk of wood out of his palm. Angus turned his eyes back to Sokka. Sokka shook his head and narrowed eyes.

"Keep your mother fucking hands away from me." Angus frowned and stood up walking over he grabbed the long pole off of the wall. Brutus shook his head and jerked the pole away from him.

"You can't do it that way and you know it. The master would have you for a midnight snack." Angus snarled and shook his head. He crossed his arms and stod in front of the door.

"Fine then you get him." Brutus nodded and walked over to the cage. He knelt down and looked in at Sokka.

"Listen cream puff, you have two seconds to get to the front of this cage, or my friend and I will snap you in half."

"Listen asshole, you have two seconds to get your shit away from me and on about your damn business." Sokka hissed mimicking the large man. The dark look that took over Brutus's eyes was not a good one.

"You are business now." Sokka curled his nose up and before he thought about what he was going to do, spit in the man's face. Brutus snarled and wiped his face off.

"You've been talking to the trouble maker I see." He growled and flung the door open to the cage. He reached in to grab Sokka, but Haru sprung forward and grabbed the man's arm. Haru fell back and gave the man a good jerk causing him to crack his head against the top of the cage. Brutus fell back cussing and Haru scrambled over him. Sokka was right behind him but the cage door was slammed shut by very pissy Angus. Brutus and Angus jumped up and ran after Haru. Haru made it to the steel door. He couldn't budge the lock. He turned and sent a wave of earth at the two large men. Brutus stopped and planted his feet sending it right back at Haru.

"Goddammit." Haru cussed. He quickly tented himself in rock. He starated to have the Earth swollow him so that he could get out when a sharp pain shot through his leg. It felt like fire traveling up to his spine and when the torrent hit his head the world went black.

**Okay so the plot set up is going rather well. Let me know what ya'll think.**


	3. Chapter 3

Katara shook her head. Aang was in denial. That's all there was to it. She growled as she walked ahead of the others. Toph had tried to tell her that they would be okay but she couldn't believe that. They had been gone entirely too long. Katara turned and looked back at them as she entered the village. Momo jumped off of The Duke's head and ran over to her. He jumped up onto her shoulder. Katara turned and looked at him with a frown.

"You're worried, too. Huh?" The lemur only squeaked in response. She looked ahead of her and noticed that there was a small inn/shop on the left. She stopped as her stomach growled at her in protest of her neglecting to feed it. She turned and looked at the others.

"We need to eat. Let's get something to eat up here and ask if they have seen the guys." Aang nodded as his stomach growled.

"Good idea." He said as he put his hand over his stomach. Katara frowned. She pulled the curtain door back and watched as the others walked in. She looked back over the streets of the small town and scanned for faces that were familiar. She shook her head and walked in.

The smell of delectableness filled her nose almost instantly. A thick warm smell that settled heavily on her tongue. She walked over to the small table that the others had found comforting. She sat down next to Aang and shook her head.

"I just don't know where they could have gone." Aang smiled and looked at her.

"They're three fairly big guys each that can handle their own." Toph nodded as a coy smile crossed her face.

"Yeah. They probably got distracted by a pretty face and lost track of what they were doing." Katara frowned.

"Hn." They all looked up as a man walked up to take their orders. Teo, being the closest to the man, looked up smiled.

"Hi." The man smiled. His clean blue eyes looked over the group. He looked back to the first boy.

"Welcome to Deosis. What can I help you with?" Katara stared wide eyed at the man. He was tall, the height of her father. He had a young, soft face. He looked at her as she stared. She caught her self and felt the fire light her face. She quickly frowned and looked away. They quickly ordered and he walked away. He came back with their food and looked over them again.

"You are the avatar, aren't you?" The man smiled and crossed his arms over his chest. Aang looked up with a mouthful of noodles. He nodded as he swallowed.

"Yep. That's me." The man smiled.

"Very good. I can't possibly find it in myself to charge the avatar. The meals are on me." Teo frowned and looked up at the man.

"Won't you get in trouble." The man shook his head.

"No. I own this place. I also own the Galdavine gardens north of the town." He looked over at Katara with a smile. "They are actually quite beautiful. You should make a point of seeing them while you are here." Katara frowned. Teo cocked an eye brow as the man walked off and looked at Katara.

"What was all that about?" Katara blushed and shot him an evil look. Aang wiped his mouth and turned to look at her.

"He probably knows everyone that comes through." The Duke nodded causing his helmet to fall over his eyes. He pushed it back up.

"You should go ask." Teo smiled and wiggled his eyebrows at Katara.

"He did seem to look at you the most." Katara frowned.

"Will you shut up?" Toph shook her head as she slurped up her noodles.

"Just go talk to the damn man already! Geeze, sugar queen." Katara frowned and turned around to scan the small tea house/inn/shop. The man was behind the counter at the far side of the room. She took a deep breath and forced her self to walk over to him.

"Excuse me?" The man turned to look at her. He smiled and cocked his head to the side.

"Yes." Katara blushed as the one word sent shivers over her. She looked up at him and forced her self to talk.

"We are looking for three guys that were supposed to come into town to get supplies." She said in one breath. She looked up at him. He looked at her for a moment then nodded.

"We get a lot of people through here. What do they look like?" She let her worry for her companions overwhelm the awkwardness she was feeling.

"My brother looks like me. Dark hair, dark skin, blue eyes. One is fire nation. He has a scar over one eye. Black hair and yellow eyes. Then the last one is earth kingdom. Long brown hair, mustache and green eyes." The man leaned on his elbows as he listened. He nodded as she spoke.

"You are worried about them aren't you." Katara nodded. He smiled at her and touched her chin with the tip of his finger bringing her eyes up to look at him.

"I will bet you anything that they are fine. Don't worry. It isn't becoming on a girl as beautiful as you." The awkwardness came back. He chuckled as he stood up straight. "Sorry. I forget myself around a pretty face. I do believe I know the three. They continued on through the town. I overheard them saying they had to go to the end of the valley, then they would come back. I don't know why they were headed to the valley, though." Katara nodded. She had actually gotten answers she wasn't expecting. She thanked him and started to walk off. A man that was clearly drunk, was stumbling around. She stepped out of the way as he sauntered towards her. He caught his foot on a chair leg and fell forward. He grabbed out at her and she stepped back but the man got a handful of necklace and a handful of Katara.

She jumped back and the man fell the rest of the way to the floor, taking her necklace with him. The innkeeper hopped over the bar and steadied Katara.

"Are you alright?" Katara nodded and looked over her front to make sure her clothes were still where they were supposed to be. The young man bent down and picked up the necklace in one hand and the drunk in the other.

"Get out of here, Jukei." He said flinging the man towards the door. He turned around and showed Katara her necklace. The ribbon was torn at the ends and the latches had been broken off. Katara frowned and picked it up. The inn keeper looked at her and smiled.

"I can fix it for you. If you would like. I'll put you and your friends up for the night, and I can have it good as new by this time tomorrow, spirit willing." Katara thought for a moment then frowned. She didn't really trust anyone with her necklace, but she decided that it would be the best that she could do. She looked back at him and nodded.

"Just be careful. It was my mother's." The man smiled. He put the necklace in the pocket of his white shirt and patted it.

"No place safer."

Sokka and Zuko stared at Haru. He had been thrown, literally, back into the cage. Angus had stabbed him in the leg with the needle between a small gap in the earth blocks Haru had sent up. His body jolted as it rejected the poisons. He looked up at Sokka from his place on the cage floor.

"Goddammit..." Sokka nodded.

"That's for sure." Sokka patted Haru on the leg and looked at Zuko. Vitani had informed them that it was highly dangerous to have been injected more than once in fourty-eight hours. Being that Haru was stabbed and injected twice with the venom in only fifteen hours, he was going to be miserable.

Haru groaned as he rolled over onto his back He cussed again and put his hand up over his eyes. He was being punished. Spirits deny it, he was being punished for SOMETHING! He growled as the poison turned his lungs. Pinching, poking, throbbing. Sensations that he never knew could be possible in places they shouldn't be possible.

"Stop rolling about. Lay still and it won't spread." Zuko said shaking his head. The low murmur in the room died down to silence.

Xia walked in and walked over to the cage that held the three. He knelt down and looked over Haru. He reached his hand through the bars. Sokka moved to grab his arm, but a single look from Xia stopped him.

"If you touch me, I'll kill him." Xia watched Sokka sit back. Xia turned his eyes back to Haru. He ran his hand over the boy's forehead. He pushed the damp hair away from his face. Xia's eyes turned fierce. He pulled his hand back and shot to his feet. He turned with a flare of his fur coat.

"Who did this?!" He yelled as Angus and Brutus dropped their eyes. Xia's shoulders squared as he walked over to them.

"Answer me." Angus dropped to his knees and put his forhead against the floor.

"I did." Xia frowned and shook his head.

"You deliberately disobeyed orders." Angus shook his head against the ground.

"No. No. He tried to escape. I was only trying to subdue him." Xia's face went somber. His eyes narrowed as he looked down at the large man.

"Why were the two of you in here?" Brutus cleared his throat as he began to speak.

"We merely were going to break the young water tribe boy for you." Xia frowned and turned to look at Sokka. He turned back with daggers in his eyes.

"You were going to do what? You do not touch these men. You do not break them." Brutus's eyes inadvertently shot over to a cage before they snapped back. Xia's eyes followed the line of sight. He turned back to look a Brutus a moment, before walking over to the cage. He knelt down and frowned. He stood back up and turned back to the large men.

"You want to do these things. Then you two will clean it up." Angus and Brutus both stood. The two large men walked over to Xia. Xia stepped to the side as the two men bent down to open the cage door. Brutus reached in and pulled out the limp body of a man, no much older then Sokka. As the body was pulled from the cage, a bloody smear from the man's body painted the ground. Blood had dried around the young man's eyes, nose and mouth. Dried blood trails streaked the man's face. The most disturbing sight, however, was that the man's pants were drenched in blood, telling tales of how he had met his end.

Sokka felt his head go light. Was that what the two large men had planned on doing to him. The men drug the body out of the room. Xia shook off his anger. His calm demeanor replaced the fierceness. He turned and walked back over to Sokka's and Haru's cage. He looked down at the young blue eyed boy.

"Those two will not, be anything to fear. They will not touch you." Sokka frowned. Somehow he thought that the smaller man was the main one to fear. Xia's eyes softened.

"Oh. I remember now why I came in here." He took a few steps back and reached into his sleeve. He pulled his hand out and flung something into the cage. Sokka reached over and picked it up. His eyes shot up to look at Xia.

"Don't worry big brother. Your sister is a very beautiful girl. I'll take good care of her." With that said Xia turned and walked back out the large steel door. Haru pushed himself up. He looked over at Sokka. Zuko stared at Sokka's hand. Sokka opened his hand and let his sister's necklace fall to the floor. Haru looked at Zuko then looked back at Haru.

"What the fuck next?!" Zuko growled. Haru nodded and laid back down on the ground.

"What indeed..."


	4. Chapter 4

Zuko rolled over onto his back. He looked up at the cell and growled. Sleep would not come. Honestly he wasn't welcoming it either. The room was quiet with the sound of sleep. Even Sokka had manage to fall asleep, only after Kercha convinced him that he would have to have strength if Angus and Brutus were to come back for him. Zuko closed his eyes, again. Listening to the silence of the room, he steadied his breathing. Sleep crept in slowly.

He looked out over the small crystal lake. He stretched out and laid back against the grass. He closed his eyes and drank in the sunlight that shown down through the trees. A joyous laughter filled the air around him searing into his ears. He opened his eyes and turned his head. Katara fell down beside him laughing. She rolled over and looked at him. She smiled and brushed his hair out of his face. She chuckled as she leaned over and kissed him on the forehead.

"Isn't it beautiful?" He smiled and sat up looking over the plush green valley. Aang, Teo, and Duke were terrorizing a poor lizard squirrel. Sokka and Haru were swimming, breaking the glass appearance of the lake. Toph was laid out in the grass about twenty feet away. Zuko turned and looked at Katara.

"So peaceful." Katara smiled. She opened her mouth to say something, but her voice wasn't what broke through.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!!" Zuko snapped out of his dream and sat up. His first instinct made him jerk to look at Haru and Sokka. They were fine, even though they to had been snapped out of sleep. Zuko turned around as he heard someone yell out in pain. Vitani's teeth were sunk deep into Brutus's arm. Brutus's hand was clenched tight around Kilani's wrist.

Zuko stared as Vitani's teeth tore the skin and blood spilled out from under his lips. Kilani jerked his arm back and rolled back. Vitani released his teeth from the man and pulled just before Kilani landed his foot hard against Brutus's elbow. Vitani grabbed the man's arm where it had been broke and jerked it backwards. Kilani took that as a chance shot his hand out of the cage. He grabbed the man's leg and pulled his foot through the cage. He jerked it to the side snapping the man's ankle. The twins then pushed the man hard away from the cage.

Brutus stumbled and fell to his back holding his shattered arm. Angus was quick to his side. He picked him up and drug him out of the room.

Sokka slowly turned to look at the two twins. Vitani's face, throat, and chest were covered in blood. Kilani pulled his shirt off and began helping his brother to get the red fluid off of him. Vitani's eyes caught Sokka's. Vitani let a smirk crawl across his face making himself look very demonic.

"What?" Sokka shook his head and looked at Zuko. Zuko didn't look surprised. He turned to look at Sokka and Haru.

"They are vicious aren't they." Haru leaned against the bars, still groggy from the venom. He nodded as he watched to twins.

"They just shattered his leg and arm. I would say that is vicious."

"Not vicious. Practical." Kercha said. He looked towards the door then looked over at Vitani. He shook his head.

"A lesson to be learned that Kilani isn't fair game." Vitani looked over at Kercha and nodded.

"If you fight them, if you hurt them. They will learn." Kercha frowned and looked back at the door. The room was dark, and even darker since it was night. Candles or torches we too dangerous to keep in the room,per chance that the moon stones didn't do their job. Sokka turned to look at Kercha. The man's face was very blank.

"Kercha...?" Kercha smiled and rolled his head against the bars to look at Sokka. "What is it?" Kercha didn't answer. He rolled his head back to look at the door.

"Teruit never came back." Hiiu said out of the darkness. Kercha nodded as he closed his eyes.

"No. He didn't."

"And he won't." Vitani added. He turned to look at Kercha with narrowed eyes. "Once Xia finds out, he will do the same to you, Kercha. You know it." Kercha started laughing. He fell down in his cage and rolled over onto his back, in a very feline movement.

"If through our deaths, we take the bastard with us, so be it." Sokka turned and looked at him with wide eyes.

"What does that mean?" Kercha's blue eyes turned serious as he looked at the younger man. He sat up on his elbow and shook his head.

"The less you know the better." Sokka nodded and laid back down on the floor of the cage. He looked over at Kilani and frowned. The two brother's were a lot closer than he thought natural.

"Why are you two so close?" Sokka ask, almost regretting it as soon as he had said it. Vitani turned and looked at the boy and narrowed his eyes.

"If it was any of your damn business, we would have told you." Kilani frowned and gave his brother's hair a quick yank.

"He isn't being nosy. Just answer his damn question." Vitani turned and snarled his nose at his brother then looked back at Sokka. He frowned deeper and looked back to Kilani. Kilani sighed and sat back against the bars, for the first time the banned tattoo that crawled up his arms and across his shoulders was visible.

"We have each other. We have always had each other. When one of us is in pain, so is the other." Kilani turned his soft eyes to look at Sokka. "It is said that having a twin is like having a piece of your soul walking the Earth with you. That statement is truer than any ever spoken. When one of us is sad, the other feels his sadness, no matter the distance between us. The same with pain." Kilani looked at Vitani and ran his hand through his long black hair. "When we are apart, it feels as if there is half missing. Spirits deny it, but we share a soul. We share a bound stronger then any steel can be forged, or any rock can be molted. People search all their lives looking, striving to find that one soul mate." Kilani smiled as a small laugh escaped his brother's mouth. " We were born with our soul mates. We don't have to waste that part of our life looking for that person to complete us. We are complete already." Haru sat up and frowned.

"You two aren't 'lovers' right?" For the first time Kilani's face went hard as he glared over at Haru. He shook his head and blinked back to serene. Vitani glared at the boy.

"Many people have thought that. Usually by the unusualness of our constant touching. This physical contact between two men often makes people uneasy." Kilani stopped as if her were thinking of his next choice of words very carefully. He looked over at Vitani and smiled. "For me, I have to touch him. I have to make sure he is still here. It isn't a sexual thing, or meant for any kind of physical gratification. It is merely comforting. To know that he is here for the moment." Vitani leaned back against his brother. Vitani's hard eyes looked over at Haru and Sokka.

"If one of us was to die, the other would die as well." Kilani nodded.

"That is what we believe at least. Maybe not death as the other's death. But for the longing for the other and the misery left behind, we would certainly morn ourselves to death." Sokka looked at him rather dumb founded.

"What? Say that again and speak human please?" Zuko laughed and looked at Sokka as he shook his head.

"Moron. He said that he would basically die if his brother did. Just what Vitani said." Sokka looked over at Kilani, ignoring Zuko. He frowned as he looked at the two. He laid back down on the floor and reached out for Katara's necklace. He patted the ground a couple times before he sat up and looked around.

"Where's it at?" Sokka said sitting up to see if he was laying on it. Haru looked over at him. He sat up and looked around the cage.

"I don't know. Didn't you just have it?"

"Xia came and got it." Sokka turned to look at Kercha.

"What?" Kercha smiled at Sokka and shook his head.

"He came and got it. While you were sleeping. The bastard is unbelievably quiet when he wants to be. Scary, isn't it."


	5. Chapter 5

Katara stretched against the warmth in the bed. She turned her eyes to see the streams of sun billowing in from the blinds. She rolled over and curled back up in the blankets. She was surrounded in warmth. Cool pure white blankets beneath her, and the deepest black fur on top that she had ever seen. She closed her eyes but opened them again when she heard someone softly tapping at the door. She grumbled as she threw back the covers. She stood up on the cold hard wood floor and walked over to the door. She rubbed her eyes as she opened the door. She frowned as she looked at a white shirt. She looked up right into the face of the inn keeper.

She was suddenly aware that here hair was standing up every where and she was crinkled and wrinkled in her night clothes.

"Excuse me a second." She said and slammed the door. She ran over and threw her clothes off, pulling on her blue dress. She ran over to the small mirror and quickly ran a comb through her hair. She pushed it back out of her face and walked back over to the door. She opened it and smiled up at him.

"Okay." He smiled and shook his head.

"You didn't have to get dressed on my account." Katara blushed and looked to the floor. He leaned against the door frame and looked down at her, as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I have something for you." Katara looked up at him. He motioned for her to follow him. She watched him as he walked. She was tempted to reach out and touch that long white hair of his. He had boar shoulders, but he wasn't overly muscled. He was lean and tall. He turned around as he stopped. Katara stopped her safe distance away from him. He cocked an eyebrow and turned to look at the floor length mirror that was at the end of the hall.

"Here. Stand in front of this mirror." She stepped up to the mirror and he stepped behind her. She looked at him in the mirror as he was taller then she was. He brought his hands in from of her neck. He curled her necklace around her neck and fastened it. He rested his hands on her neck, his finger gently touching her chin. He met her eyes in the mirror and smiled.

"See I told you I would have it for you." She smiled at him and looked back into the mirror. He leaned so that his head was level with hers. He looked at her in the mirror and smiled.

"You never told me your name." Katara smirked and brought her shoulder up to touch his chin.

"You didn't tell me yours either. That and you didn't ask." He smiled and straightened. He stepped back as she turned around to look up at him. He took her hand and bowed down kissing her knuckles lightly. He stood back up catching her eyes with his piercing gaze.

Katara didn't know whether she was going to freeze to death or burn up first. She found that the blush over took her face as she shivered. He smiled as he straightened keeping her hand in his.

"My name is Dexia." She smiled up at him.

"My name is Katara." He let go of her hand and smiled.

"I should have known you would have had a beautiful name." Katara frowned for a moment and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Do you talk to all women like this?" His eyes softened and he took a step closer to her looking down at her from only a few inches away.

"Only beautiful water tribe women." She furrowed her brows as she looked up at him He cocked his head to the side.

"How many water tribe women do you see?" She blushed and looked at the ground. He smiled and brought his hand up to gently touch her cheek.

"I told you that I lose myself around a pretty face. But there is nothing more intoxicating then a strong beautiful woman. " Katara felt as if she were going to melt to the floor. His hands were soft. She closed her eyes and counted to ten. His touch combined with the sensuality of his voice was a dangerous combination, throw in the fact that it seemed he knew exactly what to say, and he became the more potent aphrodisiac know to man.

He stepped away from her and looked over her shoulder into the mirror. He smiled. She turned around to look in the mirror, not even thinking to look around Dexia. She saw Aang staring at them with dark eyes.

"Shit." Katara cussed. She started to walk around Dexia, when he gently caught her arm. She turned and looked at him.

"Allow me to take you to the Gadavine Gardens later." She smiled quickly and nodded. He dropped his grip and she darted to the end of the hall where Aang was standing looking very thunder struck.

Zuko jerked his head at the sound of coughing. Kercha was retching. His coughing became so violent that his stomach began to contract. Kercha eyes began to water as tried to control the fierceness of the fit. Sokka jumped back away from he cage as blood began to drip from Kercha's hand that was covering his mouth.

Kercha doubled over his body still rumbling with the cough. He set his fore head on the ground. The coughing subsided and Haru watched with wide eyes as the man's back rose and fell as he tried to catch his breath. Kercha pushed himself back up with shaking arms. Haru ripped a large piece of fabric from his pants leg and handed it to Kercha as the blood dripped form his mouth and nose.

The sound of the large steel door opened drew the attention of the men. Angus walked in holding a set of the metal cuffs. Every fire bender in the room grew rigid. All three of them. Behind Angus, Brutus walked in. He walked in, he didn't limp in. The door slammed shut and they walked over to the center. Angus threw the cuffs over his shoulder and walked over to Zuko's cage.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me." Angus's green eyes glared at him.

"Calm down there scar boy. If you behave we won't have to shackle you up." Zuko shook his head. He leaned back and kicked the cage door right in front of Angus's face. But the large man only laughed. Brutus appeared at his side with the needle in his hand. Zuko glared at the large man and shook his head.

"It would be wise if you didn't do this."

"Good thing I don't take orders from kids." He growled and stuck the pole into the cage. Zuko fell back on his back. Brutus brought the pole back and Zuko sat up to watch him. He jabbed the needle at him again and Zuko dodged. Angus walked over and stood next to Brutus. Brutus again jabbed the needle into the cage, but again Zuko dodged it. This time Zuko's arm got to close to the cage door and Angus grabbed his wrist. Brutus drove the three pronged needle deep into the bend of Zuko's arm.

He jerked away from them and a string of cuss words left his mouth.

He pushed with his heels until he reached the back of the cage. His eyes dilated as his head began to swim. The colors swirled in his vision as he felt his body begin to sway. He shook his head as his ears began to ring. His vision blurred then went black. He closed his eyes as he brought his hand up to hold his head.

Brutus opened the cage and grabbed at Zuko. Zuko frowned and slapped at the hand grabbing for him. Sokka jumped over and stuck his arm through the cage bars that separated them. He grabbed Brutus's arm an jerked it into his cage. Haru watched Sokka pull the man's arm till his body was half way in Zuko's cage. Haru jumped over and grabbed the man locking his arm around the man's neck.

Angus grabbed Brutus and tore him from their grip and out of the cage. HE looked back into the cage where the poison had gone into full effect. Zuko slumped over to the side, but he was at the back of the cage. He looked at Sokka and Haru. The set of green and blue eyes just watching him Waiting for their chance. He frowned and looked to the other side of the cage where two more sets of eyes watched him. Kilani and Vitani watched Angus carefully. Their hands resting near the bottom of the cage. He glared at them and in unison cruel smiles curled over their mouths. Brutus stood up and walked over next to Angus.

"There plotting against us."

"No shit. You have us caged like animals." Haru hissed. Sokka nodded.

"Treat us like animals, we will act like animals." Sokka added. Angus and Brutus both curled up their noses and looked at each other. The green eyed Angus shot his arm out and grabbed Zuko by the leg pulling him partially out of the cell. Four arms shout out of the cages on either side and grabbed Zuko before he could be pulled out. Angus glared at them. Brutus walked over and shot his hand through the bars grabbing Sokka's wrists. Te large man began to squeeze but as he squeezed heat began to radiate from his fingers. Sokka yelped as he felt his flesh begin to sizzle.

"BRUTUS!" Brutus dropped Sokka's hand instantly and stood up straight. He turned to look Xia who was standing behind him. Angus let go of Zuko and turned around. The two large men dropped their eyes and muttered apologies. Xia walked over to Brutus and glared up at him. He turned his eyes to look at Sokka who was holding his wrist. He knelt down next to the cage. His face was soft but there was the fierceness of anger in those empty eyes.

"Let me see your wrist." He said and held out his hand. Sokka shook his head, but someone nudged him from the side. He turned and looked at Kercha. Kercha looked at him and motioned with his head for him to comply.

Sokka narrowed his eyes and moved over to the cage door. He held his wrist out to Xia who took the boys arm in his hand softly. Xia looked over the charred skin in the shape of fingers. Blood was starting to break the blackened skin. Xia let out a breath and shook his head. He opened his coat and pulled a piece of fabric from his pocket. He quickly wrapped Sokka's wrist and then stood. He turned to face Brutus. He shook his head as he walked over to look at him. He stared at the larger man then held his hand out palm up.

"Give me your hand." Brutus shivered as the voice echoed through the room. He held up his hand to Xia. In one smooth, quick movement Xia reached out and grabbed the hand. He twisted violently. The snaps of bones and the pops of cartilage were not a quiet thing. Brutus dropped to the ground holding his mangled hand. Xia's coat fluttered around him as he brought his knee up, directly into Brutus's face. The large man stumbled backwards blood spewing from his nose. Xia closed his coat and took a deep breath. The look of calm had never left his face. It was as if the events were just another everyday things.

Xia turned his eyes to look at Angus.

"Grab the boy." Angus did as he was told. He walked over and picked up Zuko, with no movement trying to stop him this time. Xia turned his ice colored eyes back to Brutus.

"And you. This is your second warning. Next time I will not be so lenient." Brutus nodded his head holding his very broken nose.

"Yes. Thank you master." Brutus scrambled out of the room behind Angus. Xia turned and looked at Sokka and shook his head.

"I just hate when things go sour." He said the words rolling off of his tongue. With that said, he turned and left.

Sokka looked down at his wrist and cringed. It was throbbing now. Before the pain was missing but it was now there in full force. He looked at Haru.

"Tell me something?" Haru looked at Zuko's empty cage then looked back at him.

"What's that?"

"How the hell did we get into this?" Haru shrugged. Vitani shook his head and looked at Kilani.

"How did any of us get into this?' Sokka shook his head as he looked at the twins.

"Didn't you two fuck that guy up seriously last night?" Vitani nodded. Kilani shrugged and looked over at Sokka.

"We've had years of training to be where we are today. But never in my life have I seen such a recovery."

"It should have killed him." Vitani added.

"It should have. But it didn't. And it never does. Broken bones, bite marks, scratches...nothing that is ever done to those two stays that way for long." Kercha added. He shrugged. "Super healers I guess."


	6. Chapter 6

Katara had managed to get her self out of the dog house with Aang, but that didn't change the fact that she had to lie in order to get away from them. She shook her head as she walked down the small path. She had told her friends that she had to go get some essentials, before they moved on. They didn't ask what kind, and that made things a little easier. She rubbed her shoulders as a chill wind blew between a couple of buildings. She kept walking. She jumped nearly out of her skin when a yelp broke through the wind.

She frowned and turned around the corner of the building. Two large me sat at the end of the alley way, and one of them seemed to be in a great amount of pain. She started to walk off, but that damn little mothering side of her wouldn't let her leave them when she knew that she could help. She shook her head and started walking down the alley.

Then men froze and looked up at her. She stopped for a moment, then with hesitation continued forward over to them.

"Are you okay?" The two men stared at her.

"What's it to you lady?" She almost growled but forced it back. She knelt down nest to them and looked over at the man who had a make-shift bandage around his hand.

"I can help you." Furrowed brows and suspicious looks were directed at her.

"How?" _Twenty questions._ She shook her head and pulled her water pouch loose from the tie on her side.

"I'm a water bender. I can heal with water." The two men looked at each other with wide eyes then back to the girl. She watched as the man untied the bandage and held his hand out to her. Or what looked like it used to be a hand. His fingers were bent in odd directions, and it was very obvious that most of the bones in his hand were broken. His fingers were swollen three times their normal size, and the frightening shades of red and purple, were never a good sign. She took a deep breath and pulled the water from her pouch. She encase her hands, then slowly wrapped her fingers around his mangled appendage. As the power seeped out of her hands into his, and as the bones slid back together and the swelling died back, she looked at him. His eyes were focused on her. He was concentrating on her as if he had never set eyes upon anything like her before.

"How did you mess your hand up so much?" The man looked to the other large man.

"Our job is hazardous. We get hurt quite often." Katara shook her head.

"I'll be here for another week or so, depending on when my brother and friends decide to come back. As long as I am here, I'll help." The two large men looked at each other with the same idea going through their heads.

Zuko rolled his head to the side as the blood in his head began to settle back into the veins. His eyes felt swollen shut as if they would never open again, or at least the good one. He strained against his eyes lids. Forcing them to open. He slowly pulled his eye lids apart. His vision was blurry, and the form in front of him was distorted. He shook his head and heard the outrageously loud clanging of chains. He squinted and tried to focus against the haze. Everything was loud in his ears. The blood rushing through his veins sounded more like ocean waves hitting the rocks. He was numb. His body just was numb, it didn't feel like it should. The pressure against his back and over his mouth felt like needles sticking in his skin. A heavy copper taste lingered on his taste buds, and the musty smell of blood sent his stomach into cartwheels.

"You shouldn't try to force your eyes to see. It isn't good for them." Zuko snapped his head around to look at all the swirling colors. Nothing was solid. A white streak moved more then the others. It was getting bigger. _Bigger means closer. _

Xia reached up and touched Zuko's face lightly. Zuko jerked his head away only to slam it into the concrete wall behind him. That didn't help his vision in the least. He heard Xia's laughter like it was jolting around in his skull. He shook his head and closed his eyes.

"You're still drunk . That's okay. You don't need to be awake." He felt Xia's soft hand wrap around his wrist. He tried to pull away but he couldn't.

Xia watched Zuko's dazed eyes dart around in panic. He looked down at the boy's wrist and brought his other hand up. He traced his finger over the metal cuffs over the boy's hand. He looked back up over Zuko's face, with absolutely no emotion showing in his face. He looked back down at the boys two wrists connected by the glorious metal contraption. He looked over to his side at a small table. He reached over and picked up a small knife from the table.

"If I were you I would try to calm down." Xia said as he ran his thumb over Zuko's small web like veins at the base of his palm. Zuko's eyes grew wide as he seemed to stare right at Xia. He could only see the color white, but he knew that was the monster. Xia looked up at him with knowing eyes and smiled warmly.

"It will only hurt a second. But you do need to calm down" Zuko jerked his arms to the side out of Xia's hand. Xia shook his head and calm touched Zuko's shoulder.

"The faster your heart beats, the faster you will bleed to death. And the more chance that your blood will spray all over me." Zuko felt his head grow light. His heart skipped beats in his chest, as his lungs constricted pushing all the air out of his chest. Xia watched the boy's reaction carefully. He took his wrist back in his hand and again ran his thumb over the largest of the veins. He looked up at Zuko.

"If you would prefer, the vein in the bend of your arm will also do nicely." Zuko jerked again, but this time Xia didn't let go. He angled the blade of the knife downward. He gently pressed against the skin until just a tiny bead of blood appeared. Zuko tried to scream, but he couldn't. He tried to see and he couldn't. So he did the last thing he could think of.

Xia gently let go of Zuko's wrists as the cuffs began to glow bright orange. Zuko screamed against the metal clasp over his mouth. Tears began to stream down his face as the glowing subsided. Xia shook his head as the smell of burnt flesh filled his nose. Zuko's face relaxed as his head fell forward.

Xia walked over and brushed the hair out of his prisoner's face. He gently felt his forehead then dropped his hand down to the large vein in his neck. He nodded as he confirmed the boy was not yet dead.

He reached over and grabbed a small jar from his table. He set it on the floor at Zuko's feet directly under his hands. He took the knife back in hand and knelt down so that he was eye level with the small stream of blood that had began to make it's downward trail. He took the knife and again pressed the blade into the boy's skin. He pulled the blade downward, and a ribbon of dark crimson broke the white flesh. He stood up and took a napkin from his table wiping the blade down. He walked over to the large fire place and threw the blade in the cauldron of boiling water that hovered inches above the flame.

He had purposely over drugged the young fire bender so that he would not be able to even sense his own element over the poison. He tossed the bloodied rag into the fire and turned around. He watched as the blood hit the smooth steal with a small sizzle. It ran down over the rounded cuffs and gathered at the lowest point.

He walked over and crossed his arms as he watched it, drop by drop, fall into the jar below. He turned his cold ice blue eyes up and looked over Zuko. The boy's face was pale, and it was almost certain that their was flesh scalded to the inside of the cuffs. But he had learned his lesson long ago about fire benders. His hand ran up to his shoulder and touched the marred flesh under his shirt. He shook his head and dropped his hands. It wouldn't be long till the boy bled out. Besides he had a date.


	7. Chapter 7

Katara took a deep breath. What was she doing? She had never done this before. She took another deep breath and looked up at the large rock gates. She looked up at the moon and shook her head. The bright circle was full and high. Her longevity and life force stretched out towards the lunar goddess. She looked back down to the gates. Either go in, or go back. She closed her eyes as she pushed her feet forward. She stopped between the gates, resting her hand on the cold stone. She peered around the garden. Her eyes wandered to the top of the small hill where Dexia was standing.

She felt her jaw fall slack and her heart beat bruises against her rib cage before it jumped and stopped in her throat. There he stood, the moon light bathing him in a glow that anything but ordinary. The gleam over his white hair shimmered silver, and the stark white of his shirt stood peaked mysteriously out from beneath a gleaming black fur coat. She was frozen in marvel by the diamonds that had taken the place where his eyes were supposed to be. He stood straight, his hands lightly in his pockets. He was waiting for her.

She closed her eyes and shook her head. Her mouth was dry, her palms were wet, and her head was light. _Katara! Control yourself!_ She opened her eyes and started walking up the hill towards him. His smile broke through the darkness as he began to walk towards her. She stopped and smiled at him clutching her hands in front of her. He stopped and looked down at her.

"I was afraid you wouldn't come." She blushed and looked down at the ground. She looked back up at him and shrugged.

"I couldn't get rid of the curiosity. I don't understand why you wanted me to see this garden at night. Isn't it prettier during the day." His face softened as he shook his head.

"Darkness tends to bring more beauty than most people give it credit for." She frowned and cocked an eyebrow at him. He smiled at her reaction and reached his hand out.

"Come, I'll show you what I mean." She looked down at his pale hand, then back up at his crystal eyes. She took his hand. He led her to the top of the hill. She looked around at the plants that covered the first side of the hill. All the flowers were twisted in their sleep. He stopped and she looked up at him. He smiled and looked out over the other side of the hill. Katara followed his eyes and gasp. Rows and rows of flowers illuminated the night. The eerie glowing was captivating and almost hypnotizing. She turned to look at him as he chuckled softly. He pulled her hand and led her down to the moon flowers. She smiled up at him and let go of his hand. She ran over to the flowers. She knelt down next to them. She touched them gently and shook her head. The white flowers were velvet soft. She leaned over and took in their sweet scent.

"These are called moon lilies." She looked as he sat down knelt down next to her. She shook her head.

"Their all so beautiful." Dexia nodded and stood up.

"Let me show you my favorite." She stood up. A chill wind rolled over her skin, causing a shiver to run down her spine. Dexia's face dropped. He reached over and touched her face gently. She looked up at him with wide eyes.

"You're cold." He didn't wait for her to answer. He pulled his coat off of his shoulder and threw it around her. He pulled in closed and in doing so pulled her closer to him. Her face lit up as looked to the ground. He shook his head. He led her down to where several large stone statues watched ominously over the flowers. She walked over to one of the statues of a woman. Her eyes were soft, her hand out stretched into the night. Her hair was pulled high into wedding locks. Katara ran her hand over the smooth stone of the woman's ceremonial dress and turned to look at Dexia.

"She was gorgeous. Who was she?" Dexia looked up at the statue with a solemn face.

"My mother." She turned and looked at him searching to see if there was any kind of something in his eyes. He looked down at her then looked over her head to another statue. She turned and looked at a tall statue of a man. He was broad shouldered and was clearly a soldier. She turned back to look at him.

"Is that your father?" He nodded and looked down at her. He smiled and leaned down close to her. She stared into icy waters as he looked at her.

"You'd never know by looking at me, that my father was Earth Kingdom." She frowned and looked over him. She shook her head.

"I would have never guessed." He smiled and stood up straighter. He touched her shoulder gently and directed her around the statue of his mother. She looked down at a bush of luminous flowers. They shown bright pink in the night, streaks of purple cutting the other wise bright petals. She looked up at him with a dropped jaw and knelt down next to the flowers.

"My god...Dexia.." He looked down at her as she said his name.

"Goddess flowers." She nodded. She ran her fingers over the petals softly. She stood up and looked at him. He knelt down and picked on of the flowers. He looked up at her and tucked the flower behind her ear. He traced the side of her face with his finger. She blushed and looked away from him, her eyes landing on a large stone covered entrance. He turned to see what she was looking at. His face went hard as he looked back at her. She frowned and looked up at him.

"What is that?"

"The Tomb of Hi-Uhtna." She frowned not recognizing the name. He looked down at her and his face softened. She walked over to the large stone entrance. She looked over the tomb's seal. The carvings in the stone were delicately crafted. She looked back at him as he caught up to her.

"Who is that?"

"He was said to be a man that was devoured by a demon. He was said to have killed thousands of people. The monks of this village took his life spilling his blood on the streets. Out of fear that his demonic soul would not know that the body was dead, they encased him in a rock prison deep inside the cave. They blocked off the entrance into the cavern then seal this entrance so that he would never escape." Katara looked up at him with wide eyes. He smiled at her and took her by the shoulder leading her away from the tomb.

"Let's not get to close. It is rumored that the monks placed a curse on it. I'm not a superstitious person, but I'm not willing to risk it either." Katara shook her head. Dark things. Dark evil things. A chill ran over her body again and she shuttered inside the coat. Dexia turned and looked at her.

"I shouldn't keep you out here long. I don't want you to catch your death." Katara frowned up at him teasingly.

"Oh, I was only raised in the South Pole. Spirits forbid I get cold." His faced soften.

"I knew you were strong woman, but I wouldn't have taken you for stubborn." She raised her eyebrows at his sarcasm.

"Listen at you. Dexia, the comedian." He shivered as she said his name again. She looked up at him with confusion and a hint of worry covering her eyes.

"Is something wrong?" He looked at her his eyes strong as fire raced into her chest. He touched her face gently.

"Nothing. It's just that every time you say my name, every time I hear it roll over your tongue, I get chills. Never has anyone spoken my name and it sounded so good." She stared up at him not knowing what to say. She licked her lips and took a step closer to him.

"So, I say your name, and you shiver?" He nodded as she stepped closer to him. She smiled coyly. She set her hand on his chest.

"Well, I guess I won't say it anymore then." She laughed and started to pull away. He pulled her back into him and pressed his lips against hers. She stared at him for a moment, the the rigidity melted from her body as she relaxed into the him.

Sokka's eyes snapped open as his stomach curled. He rolled over onto his back and jumped up cracking his head on the cage. He fell back down holding his head every cuss word he could think of spilling out of his mouth. Haru grabbed Sokka's hand and pulled it down so that he could see if there was blood.

"What the hell Sokka?" Sokka shook his head and looked around the cages. He shook his head when his eyes landed on Zuko's empty cage.

"I don't know something isn't right."

"No fucking shit kid." Vitani laughed and rolled over in his cage onto his stomach to look at Sokka. Kilani stretched and moved so that his brother could maneuver. He folded his arms across his brother's shoulders and set his head down. He yawned and closed his eyes. Vitani settled down on his own arms and stared at Sokka.

"What part of this is supposed to be right? You were captured by a psychotic man collecting maniac. You're in a cage that isn't fit for a moose lion. One of your colleagues has been drug off into the monster's den and was injected with more poison then I have ever seen used. You're surrounded by men that have been starved, beaten, and used for god knows what. Most of the men in these cages are close to death or wish for it. And now it seems that the bastard responsible for all of it has the hots for your sister, who is most likely oblivious to the kind of man he is, and undoubtedly falling hard. Giving the fact that he is a smooth talking womanizing son of bitch that has the looks of a fucking god, your sister hasn't got a chance in hell." Sokka glared at the fire bender and had he been in the next cage over would have tried to strangle him.

"You don't know Katara."

"You don't know Xia, either my brother." Kercha grumbled as he turned his back to the.

Zuko's eyes snapped open. Swirls, blurs and psychedelic colors filled his vision. His head swam. He felt his stomach lurch. He swallowed back the urge to empty his stomach. He was incredibly dizzy, lightheaded was not the right word for it. He sagged against the chains. His body was weak, and a sharp pain was shooting through his arm. He had a vague memory of his blood running down his arm. The pounding in his ears was loud enough to cause internal bleeding. Then he heard it. First it was soft, far away. Then as he forced himself to listen harder the sound got louder and clearer. Drop, drop. His arm was wet and the inside of his arm was cold, with stinging running through his finger tips. The blood was flowing out of his body, falling onto the floor with a nauseous dripping. His hazed vision darkened slowly as the world again went black.

Angus and Brutus jumped up from their table as Xia walked in. Brutus's eyes grew wide as he threw his hand behind his back. But it was too late. Xia had already saw that his hand had been healed. The man's eyes turned to fire as he walked over to the large fire bender.

"Give me your hand." Brutus swallowed hard and held out his arm. Xia stared down at it. His eyes slowly moved back up to the other man's face.

"Who healed you?" Brutus swallowed hard and couldn't find the words in this throat. Xia frowned and brought his hand up grabbing Brutus's wrist.

"I'll ask you again. WHO healed you?" Brutus opened his mouth but nothing came out. Xia grabbed the large clever out of the loaf of bread on the table. He slammed the larger man's hand down on the table causing Angus to jump back. Xia looked back up at Brutus with calm eyes as he set the clever against the man's wrist.

"Who healed your hand?" Brutus squeaked as he stared at the clever. Xia narrowed his eyes and brought the clever up. He brought it down, but just before it struck skin Brutus managed to form words.

"A GIRL!" Xia turned to look at the man.

"A girl?" Brutus nodded hysterically. Xia stood up straight and looked over at Angus. Brutus wasn't in the shape to talk. "What girl?"

"A.aa..a girl...in town." Angus stammered as Xia walked, his graceful stride closing the distance between the two.

"Care to elaborate?"

"I ...uh...I didn't get her ...name..." Xia's eyes narrowed. He backed the large man into the corner.

"Then how do I know who it was?"

"She...had brown hair...and.. and blue eyes." Xia's eyes went blank. He frowned and looked back over his shoulder at Brutus.

"Katara." Angus licked his lips and took a step forward.

"Master...one of the prisoners tried to escape." Xia turned with a flare.

"Which one?"

The sound of the large steel door slamming back brought all of the men out of their sleep. Xia walked in with the two large men behind him. He turned his head and pointed to a cage. The two men walked over to Hiiu's cage. They threw the cage door open and pulled the small man out.

"No..." They drug him to the center of the room and stood him up. Xia walked over to the man causing the two minions to let go and back away. Hiiu's eyes were wide with fright and his trembling was visible.

Vitani and Kilani unfolded themselves and sat up. Sokka stared with wide eyes as Xia pulled a long blade from his coat. He walked around the man stopping at his back. Haru looked at Sokka with a frown then back over to Hiiu. Xia ran his hand over the man's throat softly. He brushed his brown hair behind his ear.

"I didn't want to do this, Hiiu, my pet." A sharp flick of the knife sliced the man's shirt off. Sokka and Haru gasp in unison. The man's chest was covered in scars, along with most of his arms. Xia moved behind the man again holding his chin with one hand. He brought the blade up touching the man's neck. Hiiu swallowed and closed his dark green eyes. With a flash of silver, blood sprayed out over the floor. Sokka covered his face with his hand as the blood splattered over him and Haru. He blinked his eyes open and looked over at the man. His throat was slit from one side to another, blood streaming like a waterfall from the wound. The man's eyes were closed. Haru shuttered and covered his mouth. He closed his eyes tight and turned to look away. Sokka couldn't tear his eyes away. The blood bubbled at the man's throat where the last few gasps for breath fought to connect to the mouth. Sokka watch in sheer terror as the blood splashed on the floor polling around the drain. Xia dropped the man and shook his head. He handed the knife to Angus. He turned and walked out of the room, his white hair streaked with blood.

Sokka finally tore his eyes away from the meaty horror. He looked over at Kercha who had his back against the front of the cage. He had refused to watch. His eyes were closed, but his head was constantly shaking. He turned and looked at the twins. Vitani and Kilani's face were covered with blood. Both pair of fire eyes turned to look at him. Vitani shook his head and sat back against the cage, his brother soon following. Sokka swallowed hard, and swallowed again. But he couldn't stop it. He threw himself to the back corner of the cage and emptied his stomach. Even though they had only been fed once since being there. Lurch after lurch until nothing but dry heaves left him shaking. Tears streamed down his face as uncontrollable trembling took over his body.


	8. Chapter 8

Zuko groaned as the liquid headache rolled over his brain. He opened his eyes with a great deal of difficulty and blinked into the dark haze. There was nothing. No colors. No blurs. Nothing. He moved his hands, and found that he was able to move his finger's freely. He moved his head around and found there was nothing over his neck. He froze. He let a puff of air out through his mouth and found that the warm vapors didn't turn back towards him. He growled. He blinked his eyes again trying to blink back the darkness. He brought his hands up to pull off the blindfold, but his fingers touched only skin. He rubbed his eyes and blinked again. Still darkness was all he could see. He let out a growl and kicked his leg out. His foot came in contract with something. He moved his hand out and touched a cool surface. He wrapped his fingers around the bars. He shook his head. He was back in the cage again.

"Zuko…? Zuko calm down?" His ears perked as he heard Sokka's voice. He looked around trying to see. A hand reached out and touched his shoulder.

"Sokka?" Another hand touched his shoulder. He moved over towards the hands until he touched bars.

Sokka stared at Zuko. His golden eyes were covered in haze and they darted wildly back and forth. Sokka looked over at Haru. Each of them had a hand on Zuko.

"We're here." Haru said his voice tight. Tears welled in Zuko's eyes as he looked around blindly.

"I can't see…" Vitani looked to his brother. Kilani moved over and reached his hand through the cage bars towards Zuko.

"Come over here." Kilani said softly. Zuko grew rigid and held onto the bars. Sokka's heart tightened as he watched the prince start to break.

"Zuko, Kilani wants to help." Zuko's eyes turned to look at Sokka. He moved slowly away from the bars and towards the other side.

Kilani reached out towards Zuko and pulled him over to him. Kilani looked at Zuko's eyes then looked over to his brother.

"Vitani. Hold him." Zuko almost screamed when two strong arms pinned him against the bars. Kilani held Zuko's face tight as he looked over the haze in the boy's eyes. Kilani moved quickly running his hand over the boy's eyes, scraping them with his finger nails. Zuko screamed and tore away from their grip. He fell down to the floor of the cage holding his face.

Sokka watched as Zuko shook his head. He could see a small stream of blood slip between his friend's fingers. His stomach tighten as the visions filled his head from only an hour earlier. Sokka set back against the bars and closed his eyes. He didn't know how, but they had to get the fuck out of there before something really bad happened.

"What the hell happened to my arm..." Zuko growled and sat up holding his eyes. Sokka frowned and looked over at Haru.

"What?" Zuko stuck his arm out to them.

"My arm. That bastard cut it open." Haru looked over Zuko's arm that didn't have a mark on it. He shook his head and looked at Sokka.

"Zuko. There's nothing wrong with your arm." Zuko growled and covered his eyes with his other hand. He shook his head. The skin on his hands were fine as well. he knew he burnt them. He could still smell the singed flesh. The skin was tight and felt 'new.'

"Bullshit. He bled me..." Zuko growled and blinked his eyes. The world was back, foggy and blurred, but no longer black.

Katara pushed the door open and came face to face with a very unhappy Aang. "Aang?" He narrowed his eyes and shook his head at her.

"What are you doing Katara?" She frowned and looked at him

"What?" Aang shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked at the ground in front of her.

"I know where you were." Katara's face went blank.

"Your point?" Aang looked up at her his eyes wide.

"Katara. How can you do this? What about us that care about you? You don't know this man."

"Neither do you." Katara frowned crossing her arms over her chest. Aang frowned.

"Don't you remember what happened with Jet? You fell so hard for him to turn around and betray us!" Katara glared at him.

"If I remember correctly you liked him too." Aang glared at her.

"You can't be seriously trying to see this guy?"

"Who I decide to see is none of your business."

"What about me? Huh? What about us?" Katara stared at him. Tears welled in his eyes as his temper began to peak through.

"If not me, then what about Haru? You know he has feelings for you. You know I have feelings for you. But you run off with some pretty face?" Katara cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Aang..." Aang shook his head. He was about to loose his temper. She was being entirely too laid back about all of it.

"You don't know anything about this man. He could be a psychotic rapist! A vicious butchering murderer, but you wouldn't be able to see it!"

"He isn't like that."

"How do you know, Katara? How?" Katara's face dropped as she thought for a moment. She shook her head and looked back up at him.

"I could see it in his eyes. He was talking to me, and there was such a passion in his eyes, so much pain, so much emotion. He can't be coldblooded." Aang frowned and took a step over to her,

"Goddammit Katara. I didn't say he was a lizard, I said you don't know him." Katara glared at him.

"I can't believe you! You are willing to trust the Prince of the FUCKING fire nation, that you know has caused hell, over someone who hasn't shown the slightest bad motion yet? You! The goddamn Avatar. You are supposed to see good in everyone. You are supposed to trust everyone, at least give them a chance!"

"I've given too many people chances that didn't deserve it! You are so busy fawning over this man that you've completely forgotten about the others!" Katara glared at him.

"No. I haven't. Dexia is going to help us find them!" Aang curled up his nose.

"Where the hell is he looking? Last time I checked the guys couldn't all fit in your..." Before he finished his sentence his head was snapped to the side. Katara glared at him as she brought her hand back.

Aang brought his eyes around to look at her. He reached up and gently touched his lip. He looked down at the blood on his finger tips and turned his eyes to glare at Katara. Aang narrowed his eyes and turned around. He threw his hands in the air.

"Fine. Fuck it!" He growled and walked out the door and into the dark street.

Sokka stared at Zuko. He closed his eyes and tried to keep from thinking the worst. Zuko had said that the man had cut open his arm, but there was nothing, not even a scratch anywhere on him. The only thing that was wrong was his eyes. And they were clearing up. Sokka's eyes shot open.

"Holy shit.." He looked over at Haru. "He's a fucking water bender." Vitani laughed and looked over at him.

"Took you long enough to figure that one out." Kilani frowned and kicked his brother in the ribs.

"You hadn't said anything about that. So shut up." Sokka shook his head at them and turned to look at Kercha. The man was still laying on his side. He hadn't added any said anything in a while.

"What do you think Kercha? Did you know that?" The man didn't answer. Sokka put his hand through the cage and touched the man gently. He was cold to the touch. Sokka's blood froze. Her grabbed the man's shoulder and rolled him over. The man's arm fell limply to the ground. Sokka stared at the young man's eyes. They were gone. The life in his eyes was gone. He stared off into the final void. Sokka dropped his hand from the body and shook his head. This man wasn't much older than himself. Sokka felt his stomach roll as he stared at the blood thick around his mouth, and the small stream of dried blood that had streamed from the man's eyes. Sokka pushed himself away from the body. Just two hours ago the man had spoken. Just that short while and now he was gone.

"Sokka, what?" Haru looked over at Kercha. He covered his mouth and turned his head with a jerk.

"Oh shit.." Haru said through his hand. Zuko turned his head, but his eyes were still fogged.

"What?" Sokka shook his head. He couldn't say anything. In the course of twelve hours he had already watched one man's throat get shredded in a rain of blood, and now another man had died without anyone realizing it. Vitani sat up and looked over to the far cage. He shook his head and sat back down.

"There goes another one. Better that way then Hiiu's way though. Who the fuck is next?" Just as Vitani finished his sentence. The steel door opened. Xia walked in by himself. He shut the door behind him. He walked over to Sokka's cage. He stopped and looked over at Kercha. A softness rode over his eyes but then he turned back to Sokka. He looked down at him with a soft smile.

"Hi there big brother. " Xia bent down to look in the cage. He glanced at Haru for a moment and smiled. "Hey gorgeous." He looked back over at Sokka and his smiled turned dark.

"I have use for you. Come to me." He said softly. Sokka glared at him.

"Go find a pole and fuck it." Xia's smile only deepened.

"I don't think you should have that attitude. You see Angus was fairly upset because he couldn't have you, and now he knows who your sister is. I hate to say it, but your sister is a very beautiful girl." He closed his eyes and smiled in memory. "Funny. I can still taste her on my lips." He looked down at Sokka who was visibly becoming more and more enraged. Xia's eyes narrowed as he looked over the boy. "I would hate to see what they would do with her knowing he couldn't have his way with you."

"You sick sorry son of a bitch." Xia smiled as he turned his eyes to Zuko. The fire bender was seething.

"Now, now my little bon-bon. You've had your turn, you can wait awhile." He turned back at looked at Sokka's whose blue eyes were almost solid black. Haru growled and shook his head.

"If they hurt Katara, I'll personally make sure that you are ripped limb from limb." Xia looked at him hard. He smiled and shook his head.

"It seems that there is more then one lover that I am pissing off. So which one of you is it? Which one am I taking the place of?" Sokka growled and hit the cage door.

"Don't talk about my sister like she is piece of meat!" Xia cocked his eyebrow.

"Oh no. She's not a piece of meat. You are. Now either come with me and I'll call the men off, or refuse and let your sister be torn to shreds. It's your choice." Sokka frowned and looked up at Xia.

"Don't you fucking dare, Sokka." Vitani hissed. Kilani shook his head in agreement with his brother.

"Nothing he has in store for you will be good." Xia turned and looked at the twins.

"If you two don't want to end up as conjoined twins, I suggest you keep your suggestions to your self." Sokka hung his head.

"Fine. Just don't hurt Katara." Xia smiled and knelt down. He looked at Haru with narrow eyes before he unlocked the cage.

"You try to get out or attack me when I open this cage, you will be the next red shower." Haru looked at Sokka. Sokka shook his head. Xia opened the cage and pulled Sokka out by the arm. Sokka stood up and glared at Xia. He growled and brought his leg around to slam into Xia's back, but he missed. Xia stood up with dark eyes.

"One word is all it would take for your sister's innocence to be forced from her. You don't actually think they would be gentlemen about it do you?" Sokka glared at the man. Xia walked over and tied Sokka's hands together.

"Come on big brother. Your sister is waiting." That one phrase, the simple four words, brought Sokka's entire world to a halt.


	9. Chapter 9

**Lurkers. Again with the lurkers. I know you are out there. I see that you have added this story to alert or faves...Yet no responses from you. You must be new to my fiction. I love reviews. I love my reviewers input. I base a lot of what happens in the story on the reaction of my readers. I will write back every reviewer that I get for this chapter and answer any questions about the story as long as I don't give out too much. **

**Warning: Torture! Hints of Yaio nothing major though.**

Xia pushed open a door and led Sokka into the room. Sokka narrowed his eyes as he watched Xia's back. This man had some balls giving an enemy his back like that. Xia shut the door and locked it. Sokka looked around the room. There wasn't much difference between the walls and floor then that of the cage room. Chains hung from the walls. Smears and stains of red spotted the walls and floor. Darker brown shades showed the older blood. Xia turned and looked at Sokka with a smile.

"Do you like?" Sokka cut his eyes at Xia. The bastard was cocky. Xia walked over and stood in front of Sokka. He looked over Sokka with a grin. He shook his head as he looked back into Sokka's eyes.

"Amazing, isn't it. To know that we both come from same blood. Yet we are so different." Sokka narrowed his eyes.

"Go jump off an iceberg." He growled and brought his leg up in a jerk. Xia caught his ankle under his arm. He jerked back on Sokka's foot , then threw him forward. Xia landed straddling him, still holding Sokka's leg. He leaned over and looked at Sokka with dark eyes. He smiled as loose strands of hair fell around his face. He touched his nose gently to Sokka's and stared at him.

"Now now. You don't want to get me excited. I don't think you would like it." He smiled and kissed Sokka gently on the lips before he stood up. Xia pulled Sokka to his feet but the rope still around his wrists. He backed Sokka up to the wall and placed a hand hard on his chest. 

"I don't want to drug you. You have no doubt, noticed the effect it had on your friend."

"What did you do to Zuko?!" Xia looked at him softly as he casually untied the from one hand. He moved his wrist up along the wall and fastened the steel cuff around it.

"Nothing near, what I plan on doing to you." Sokka growled and brought his knee up catching Xia in the crotch. Xia's reaction wasn't what Sokka had planned on. Xia jerked his body against Sokka and dug his teeth into Sokka's neck, all while tightening his grip on Sokka's free wrist. Sokka closed his eyes tight as the other man drove his teeth in deeper. His breath was hot against Sokka's neck. Xia moved Sokka's other had up to the cuff, while maintaining his hyena-bull grip on Sokka's neck. Sokka let out a yell as Xia's teeth broke through the skin.

He could feel the blood start flowing out into the other man's mouth. Xia pulled back and quickly brought his hand over to finish cuffing Sokka's other wrist. He turned to look at Sokka, his body still pressing the smaller boy into the wall, as blood ran down his pale face. He pressed his lips hard against Sokka's and forced the mouth full of blood back into it's original owner. He smiled as licked the crimson from his lips. He took a step back and shook his head. He pulled a cloth from his coat and cleaned his face. He tossed the rag to the side and brought his eyes back over to look at Sokka.

"I told you, you wouldn't like it." He walked over to the far side of the room. He pushed in one of the stone blocks. A small door opened to the side and a table came out. Sokka watched as Xia dropped his coat to the floor. There were scars that peaked over the man's collar on the back on his neck. Sokka swallowed as he saw what was on the table. Xia picked up a small blade and walked over to stand in front of Sokka.

"You're sister is a marvelous girl." He said as he cleaned the blade on his shirt. He looked up at Sokka. He placed the tip of the blade against the dip between Sokka's collar bones. "Tell me. Just how loud will you scream for me?"

"Do your fucking worst!" Xia smiled and shook his head. He ran his hand over Sokka's chest.

"You shouldn't have said that, big brother." He smiled as he jerked the blade down. It scarcely touched his skin. Xia pulled the now shredded shirt off of Sokka and threw it aside. Sokka winced as Xia set a hand on his chest. He pulled back his hand and held it up so that his prisoner could see. Blood graced the palm of Xia's hand.

Sokka strained his eyes to look down the length of his abdomen. A small line of red split his stomach. He looked back up at Xia.

"What the fuck!?" Xia smiled and stepped back as Sokka kicked out at him. Xia shook his head and with a flick of the wrist drove the knife into Sokka's foot pinning it to the floor. He looked up and cocked his eyebrow at his persistent prisoner.

"Want to try the other one?" Sokka growled. Xia shook his head and frowned. He walked back over to the small table and picked up a small needle. He looked at Sokka as he made his way back over to him.

"You clearly are not going to let me have my fun while in good conscious." Sokka started to protest but Xia drove the needle into his thigh. Sokka arched away from the stone. He pulled on his arms trying to get his wrists free. Xia stood back and watched him writhe against the toxin. The boy fought for a few minutes then his body relaxed into the chains. Xia smiled and stepped over to the boy. He picked up his chin and looked at the fire that was still in the boy's eyes.

"You didn't think I was going to knock you completely out did you? No. Just a tranquilizer." He smiled and pulled a blade from behind his back. He stepped back and looked over Sokka for a moment. The bite mark was no longer freely flowing blood, now it was more of an ooze. He frowned as he caught glimpse of the fabric wrapped around the boy's wrist. He reached up and pulled the cloth loose.

"I had almost forgot about Brutus burning you." He peeled the cloth back as it clung to his skin. The charred skin fell off loosely as the blood and puss made the burn shine in the torch light. Xia shook his head.

"That shouldn't have happened." He growled. He shook his head casting the thoughts from his mind. He took the black in his hand and looked at Sokka's shoulder. He ran the tip of the blade over the boy's dark caramel skin gently. He stopped and put a little pressure right where the shoulder socket dipped. He looked at Sokka with empty eyes as he drove the knife deep into the boy's joint. Sokka' clamped his eyes shut and let out a hissing breath. It was just about all he could do. He couldn't move he couldn't do anything! Xia didn't even blink as he twisted the blade inside Sokka. The sound of tearing tendons and that sickening audible pop when the ball slide out socket. Tears streamed down Sokka's face as the fiery pain shot to the end of his fingers. Xia jerked the blade out and smiled. The wound was deep. The blood streamed down along Sokka's bare side until it hit his pants, where it began to absorb.

Xia smiled and placed the blade gently against the boy's waist just inside where the bone shapes the hip.

"You know there are no major organs right here. Only a bundle of nerves, some blood vessels, and few lymph nodes." He said as he droved the knife deep into Sokka's side. As the knife hit the nerves, Sokka let out a scream. Xia looked up in surprise.

"My. I didn't think I would get a noise out of you." Sokka's body began to tremble. Xia smiled and ran his fingers down Sokka's chest. Sokka's mind screamed at him. The bastard had immobilized him, but he could feel every inch of torn flesh, every hot drip of blood escaping. Xia pulled the knife out. Sokka couldn't keep his body from trembling. He could feel the blood beginning to run down his thigh underneath his pants. Xia nodded. He walked over and held the knife over one of the torches. It was glowing bright orange as he walked back over. He drove the knife deep into the already deep wound on his hip. The sound of the blood sizzling, and the flesh peeling back and cracking filled the air as another scream tore from Sokka's mouth. Xia leaned over Sokka and smiled as he gently pressed the blade against the side of his neck. Xia's breath rolled over Sokka's skin. Xia smiled.

"Here. You have to be very careful. To far one direction you hit the esophagus, to far another direction and you hit the trachea, then to far in the last direction and you will pierce the jugular." He smiled as he applied a little pressure causing a bead of blood to stream down Sokka's neck. "Good thing I've had lot's of practice."


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay great! Cookies to all who reviewed. I answered everyone back that I was able to. Except lw, and that's because I didn't have an email address for you. I know things are getting rocky and twisted. Hope you enjoy this cruel chapter.**

**Warning: Sokka in distress.**

"Miss?! Miss?"" Brutus knocked hard on the door to Katara's room. He heard some cussing behind the door then Katara gently opened the door. She rubbed her eyes and looked up at the man she had healed that evening.

"What? What is it?" Brutus caught his breath and stared at her.

"I'm sorry to bother you. But one of the prisoners was almost killed by one of the others!" Katara frowned and shook her head at him.

"What?" Brutus took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry. I'm a guard at the prison out side of the village. That is why me and my friend get hurt so often. It's a dangerous job as I said." Katara folded her arms over her chest as she tried to wake herself up.

"Okay?"

"One of our more dangerous prisoners was severally injured by one of the others. We need you to help him!" Katara nodded. She closed the door and pulled her clothes on. She opened the door back as she tied her water pouches over her hip.

"Where is the prison?" Brutus shook his head.

"You don't have to go to the prison. We brought him to you."

"What?"

"We thought it would be better to bring him here." Katara stared wide eyed at the large man as they walked down the hall.

"Just why is this prisoner so dangerous?"

"He's killed a lot of people. Mostly women after he raped them." Katara stopped dead in her tracks and stared at Brutus.

"What?!" He stopped and looked back at her. He shook his head and looked down the stairs.

"You'll be safe."

"Absolutely not!" Katara jerked her head to look down the stairs. Dexia was flying up the stairs. He stopped and stared at Brutus.

"No! I will not put her in that kind of danger!" Brutus shook her head.

"Then you can come with us. You can make sure nothing happens to her." Dexia frowned and looked over at Katara. His eyes pleaded with her.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to. Let the bastard, excuse my language, let the monster rot in his wounds for all the trouble he has caused." Katara shook her head.

"No. It doesn't matter a person's crime, they should never have to rot like that. I'll help." Dexia hung his head as he nodded.

"Very well. They have him tied in the barn." She frowned and looked at him

"In the barn? Here?" Dexia nodded and held his hand out for hers. She looked at him with a frown and gave him her hand. They walked down the stairs and out into the dim night. Katara covered her mouth as she yawned. She had only gotten about three hours of sleep before they woke her. Dexia stopped and he and Brutus turned to look at Katara.

"You know he preys on women?" Katara nodded. "Good. Be very quiet in here. I don't want him knowing that there is a woman around him. Can you do that?" Katara nodded. Dexia looked at Brutus and nodded. Brutus opened the barn door and led them in. Katara stopped and stared inside the barn. The other large man stood up as they walked in. But that wasn't what caught Katara's eyes. It was the man hanging by his wrists from a beam. His feet were about a foot off of the ground. His head was covered in what looked like sack material. There was slits in the bag so that the man could breath. She looked over him. Blood trailed down from his shoulder and another deep would was high on his hip. A split straight down his chest seemed as if it were trying to heal on it's own. Blood seemed to cover most of the man. His upper body was naked, and seemed to be covered in dirt. His pants weren't much better. Something about him was familiar. But if she could only see his face...

Katara looked over at Dexia. He looked down at her then looked over to the man. He brought his hand up to his mouth in a signal for her to be silent. Katara took a deep breath and walked over to stand in front of the man. She frowned and covered her mouth and nose. The smell that rolled off of the man was horrid.

"He's in poor condition." Brutus said looking over at Dexia.

"I agree. He can't live if those wounds get infected." Dexia smiled as he watched Katara. It vanished as she turned to look at him with wide eyes. She shook her head and regained her composure.

She pulled a stream of water from her pouch and encased both of her hands. She took a step closer to the hanging man. She gently placed her hands over his hip, but as soon as her hand's touched his skin, he began to thrash. The man tensed his arms and began pulling himself up to the beam, his biceps straining. Katara took a step back, but she didn't see the man's foot coming. He kicked her full force in the jaw knocking her off of her feet. She sat up and grabbed her mouth. Blood poured out of her mouth where her teeth bite through her lips. Dexia helped her to stand back up. The hanging man thrashed about wildly. Dexia frowned and looked down at Katara.

"Katara? Are you okay?" The man's thrashing stopped immediately. Sokka's eyes darted blindly towards the direction of the voices. He screamed Katara's name into the gag in his mouth. He felt tears burn down his cheek. He tried to say her name again but it only came out as a muffled cry. Katara looked over at the man as he screamed. She frowned. Something was entirely too urgent in the man's voice.

"I can't... Something isn't right. Dexia, I can't." Dexia nodded and looked over at the hanging man.

"Then I guess he will die." He said with a shrug. Sokka closed his eyes tight. His head fell forward, as he shook it wildly. This was not happening. He did all of that for this sole reason. Xia wanted him to suffer. He purposely had Katara be quiet so that he would think it was the devil himself going to heal him. He knew that he would strike out. He did kick out. He busted his kid sister in the face. There wasn't any knowing what she had been told, or who she thought he was. And now she was going to let him die.

Katara frowned. She shook her head.

"No...I don't want him dying because of me." She pulled the stream from her pouch and walked over to him. She looked up at him carefully. She touched him with the tip of her fingers, and when he didn't retaliate she placed her palm on his wound on his hip.

Sokka closed his eyes as the purity of the water flowed through him. He could feel the scorched skin re knitting and the nerves relaxing. If there was only a way to make her know.

Katara stood up on her tip toes and was barely able to touch the bottom of the wound on his shoulder. Sokka could feel the tendons winding around each other. He knew however, that she wasn't able to reset the bone. Katara pulled her hand back. Panic shot through Sokka. He kicked his legs out and wrapped them around her tight. He tried again to talk to her through the gag.

She pushed against the man's legs trying to get him to let go. She looked up at the man but the bag kept his emotions from being seen. He didn't seem like he was trying to hurt her, he was just holding.

A crack sounded through the barn and the man's legs dropped from around her as a muffled scream shot through the air. Katara stumbled away from him. She looked at the floor under his feet where blood spattered on the ground. She frowned and looked over to the large man. The huge slat of wood in his hand had blood smeared on it. She looked at the man in horror. She walked around behind the prisoner and stared at his back. With that one violent strike with the wooden board, the man's skin on his back had split open. She covered her mouth with her hands and looked over at the two large guards.

"How could you do that?" Angus frowned and looked over at Dexia. He looked back at the girl, the blood board still in hand.

"He was trying to hurt you." Katara shook her head. She pulled water from her pouch and spread it over the man's back. She cut her eyes over to Angus.

"He wasn't hurting me. My best guess is that he's scared out of his mind! For spirits sake you have him gagged and blind folded with a stranger placing hands on him! Wouldn't you be scared!?' She shook her head. She didn't want an answer. Prisoner or not that was purely inhuman. She looked over at Dexia.

"I want nothing more to do with this. After he is healed, I don't want to see any other prisoners or these guards." Dexia nodded.

"I tried to stop you." Katara frowned.

"I will not let this man suffer. Regardless of what he's done or who he is, no one deserves this!" She growled.

"What the hell is going on here?" Aang said as he stared at the man hanging from the rafter. Katara looked at him with hard eyes.

"I'm healing. Grab some water and come help me!" Aang stared at her. He pulled some water from a trough nearby and walked over to stand beside her. His eyes grew wide as he looked over the man's back and the wooden shards embedded in his skin.

"Ooh..." Katara cut her eyes to look at Aang.

"Don't you dare get sick. Heal first, sick later!" Aang clamped his mouth shut and followed Katara's directions. After the man's skin was smooth, new and free of wood Katara dropped her hands. Blood had covered her hands and most off the front of her clothes. She looked at Aang.

"Let's go clean off." Aang nodded. She looked at him with a frown and took his hand as they walked to the front of the barn. Dexia touched Katara's shoulder. She glared at him. She brought her fist around and knocked him flat. He looked up at her with surprised eyes.

"What was that for?" She looked at him with daggers.

"Why didn't you say something? Why did you just stand there? You could have helped me!" HE stood up and stared down at her.

"Angus helped you and you yelled at him."

"That's not what I meant. I know that you're a bender. It isn't hard to see that. There is no way that those flowers could survive these mountain conditions if you weren't! You should have been helping me heal him."

"Katara.." She shook her head and brought her hand up silencing him.

"I'm dirty, covered in blood, have only had two hours worth of sleep and thoroughly pissed off right now. Talk to me later..." She growled and slammed the barn door behind her. Dexia's eyes went cold. He clinched his fists at his side.

Angus and Brutus both fell to their knees. Xia turned and looked at them. He walked over grabbing the board out of Angus's hand. With a flare of his hand he knocked Angus onto his back, taking the board straight across the man's skull.

"You idiot." Angus crawled backwards as Xia stared down at him. The serenity and calmness fell over his eyes in a flash. His body was no longer rigid and that languid grace poured back into him. He turned smoothly around to look at the dangling Sokka. He walked over and ran his fingers over the boy's back where she had healed him. He smiled as he walked around and looked over the boy. He gave him a soft pat on the hip and turned to look at his two large minions.

"Take him back. I have a few tests I would like to do on him."

**I had mentioned this to Lord Melkor, but I wanted to know what ya'll would have done, considering you all hate Dexia so much and hate Katara because he likes him. What if I would have made Dexia and Xia to separate people and did let on to that until the end of the story. They would have been like twins. But I have already set my self up for the major twist so, that isn't gonna happen. But it would have been funny right?**


	11. Chapter 11

Xia traced his hands over Sokka's abs as he looked at him, stretched out on the hard wooden table. Sokka's cold blue eyes shown up in hatred as the man walked around him. His arms were strapped down straight out from his body. His legs spread eagle and fastened down to the board. The sedative had long ago worn off. He had tried to fight off the two large mens grip, but ended up having his knee busted backwards in an angle in which it shouldn't bend.

Sokka was stripped down and stretched out on the board. Xia smiled as he looked over the dark toned water bender. He stopped at the boy's waist and ran his hand gently over the boy's treasure trail. He smiled and looked back up at the boy.

"You have a great pain tolerance. I'm actually quiet surprised. I have a few more tests I would like to run though. " He said and patted Sokka on the hip. He walked over to a long table and picked up a small tube instrument. He walked back over and leaned down on his elbows even with Sokka's shoulders. He held the small pipe up so that Sokka could see it. He chuckled and looked at the instrument then back to Sokka.

"Guess where this is going to go." Sokka's eyes narrowed even farther.

"You are truly a very sick person." Xia's eyes brightened.

"Truly? You think so. Good then I'm not coming off as fake." He walked around the table to the other side where the dislocated shoulder was. He set the pipe down on the table and looked at the boy's shoulder. Even though the girl had healed most of it, the bone was still out of line and that was causing an infection. He pressed gently on the swollen red area and Sokka growled in pain. Xia picked up the small pipe and placed it at the highest point of swelling. Xia looked over at Sokka as he brought a small mallet up. Sokka's eyes got wide as the mallet came down hard on the end of the pipe, driving it deep into the flesh with a spray of blood. A scream tore from Sokka's mouth as he arched against the table.

Zuko's head shot up as an incredibly loud screech echoed through the room. He looked around and frowned. He looked over to Haru.

"That was Sokka." Haru nodded and looked over at the prince. He was in bad shape. He was still partially blind, covered in blood with no trace of a wound and from the blood was caked in dirt. He was pretty sure he didn't look so great either. But then there was the twins. Both of them were a little dirty, but neither were blood stained or injured.

The large doors open and the gruesome twosome walked in. The stopped and began making their rounds to check the cages. They came to meet at the cage that the twin Black Shades were being kept in. The twins looked at each other and automatically their faces hardened. Haru watched as they went from normal to kill mode in a matter of seconds.

"Now don't get your feather's ruffled there Vitani. We just have a few too many empty cages, with your water tribe friend dying." Vitani growled and watched the two large men as the held up cuffs.

"Now we can do this the easy way, or the hard way." Kilani frowned he looked at his brother then back up to the two men.

"What do you want?" Vitani shot his brother a glare then looked back to the men.

"Only to move you to another cage." Kilani set a hand on his brother's shoulder and just looked at him. But in that look more transpired between them than could be recognized. Both men relaxed and looked to the others.

"You can move me. Which cage?" Kilani said. Angus frowned. The fire bender was going along entirely too easy. Angus bent down and reached through the cage. Kilani held his hands up so that he could be shackled. Vitani moved over so that the cage door could be opened. Brutus unlocked the cage and opened it so that Angus could pull Kilani out. He got him out of the cage without incident and opened the cage next to it where Hiiu had been. Just as Brutus was closing the cage Vitani leaned over to the cage.

"Hey Brutus. You're zipper's open." Brutus instinctively looked down at his crotch. Vitani sprung forward busting the cage door back. Kilani dropped down and kicked Angus's feet out from under him. Vitani tore across the room with Brutus on his heels. Angus got to his feet and stare at Kilani. The man smiled and fell forward on this hands and wrapped his legs around the large man's neck. With what seemed like no effort at all, Kilani threw Angus into the cage and kicked the door shut. He turned to see Vitani reach the needle. Kilani narrowed his eyes. He ran over and threw his arms around Brutus neck using his shackles to coke him. Vitani grabbed the needle from the wall and turned to look at Brutus.

"On you knees and beg for forgiveness." Brutus just stared at him. If he hadn't been under strict orders not to use his bending, he would have torched both of them. Vitani looked over to his brother.

"Why don't you help him out a bit?" Kilani grinned and jerked his knee up hard into Brutus's back. Driving the man to his knees. Vitani smiled and nodded a thanks to his brother. He turned the needle in his hand and drove it hard into the man's neck. Brutus's body went limp. Kilani dropped him and looked at his brother. Vilani grabbed the shackles and started to unlatched them but a wave of Earth grabbed Kilani sending him flying into the cage. Angus stood behind Vitani his arms crossed over his chest.

"Now aren't you being a little ass today." Vitani glared at the man. He sprung forward vaulting over the man and made for the door. He reached the door and turned with a hard kick slamming the metal door shut.

He dropped down low to the ground and crept along the wall. He stopped and listened for a moment then looked around the corner carefully. It was a long hall way with doors lining either side. He turned the corner and started making his was down the corridor.

"Just where do you think you are going?" Vitani turned and slammed Xia in the chest with a hard kick. He brought his leg up again and caught him in the jaw. Xia slowly looked up at him. He was covered in blood, though none of it was his own. As his eyes met Vitani's, he smiled. Vitani tried to run, but he became paralyzed with fear. Xia walked over to him and pushed him back into an opened door. Vitani's eyes went wide as Xia backed him all the way into the wall. He reached up and fastened a metal strap over Vitani's head. He quickly latched the man's arms to the wall as well.

"I've been waiting for this for a very long time, my pretty little viper."

Angus drug Brutus out. He wasn't gone but a few minutes when he came back. He carried Sokka back into the room like he was a doll. The boy's body was limp and lifeless. Haru stared as the blood dripped down from Sokka. He moved over thinking that Angus was going to put him in the cell with him. No, instead he put him in Kercha's old cell.

Haru stared at Sokka. What he thought was Sokka. He reached through the bars and touched his face gently. He was on fire. Haru growled and quickly tried to get the blanket off of the other boy. He finally opened the blanket. He covered his mouth as he stared at Sokka's back. Pieces of flesh had literally been removed along Sokka's spine. Haru swallowed hard and rolled Sokka onto his back. Blood was caked around his shoulder, but there was something else that was wrong. A large burn sat low on Sokka's hip. Haru frowned at the large X that looked to be getting infected. The X though drew his eyes to a worse sight. Haru covered his mouth and clamped his eyes shut. Sokka's manhood had been mutilated. Haru shook his head and threw the blanket back over Sokka so to cover up his nudity.

Haru felt a gag coming on and he didn't think he could stop it. Zuko watched through blurred vision. He touched Haru's shoulder gently.

"What the hell!?" Haru fought back his urge to throw up and looked at Zuko.

"That fucking monster...he he.." Nope couldn't hold it any longer. He threw himself to the back of the cage much in the same manner as Sokka had done upon witnessing Hiiu's throat get slashed. He shook his head and looked over at Zuko. He didn't think he could say it. Zuko stared at him.

"Is he dead?" haru shook his head and forced himself to swallow again.

"No...but he's gonna wish he was when he wakes up." Zuko growled.

"Goddammit, Haru! You know I can't see! Quit fucking playing games." Haru clamped his eyes shut.

"He took a blade to Sokka's...to his..." Zuko's eyes grew wide as he stared at Haru.

"He didn't!" Haru nodded. Zuko shook his head. They were all going to die. That was it. They were going to die in this hell hole if something didn't happen soon.

"Vitani got out...he will come back for us." Kilani said as he fought to get the metal shackles off of his wrists. He looked at Zuko then to Haru.

"If he can get us free then we can get out." Haru shook his head and looked over at Kilani.

"If Xia doesn't catch him first."

Xia looked at the fire bender with a small smile on his face. He jerked the blade down across the man's arm. He smiled and pushed his finger into the wound. Vitani growled at him. Xia smiled and hooked his finger around a tendon and pulled. As he pulled Vitani's finger's closed. Xia brought the blade up against the tendon.

"If breath this tendon, you will have no use of your hand." He smiled and let the tendon slip off of his finger and back into the wound. Vitani glared at the man. Xia smiled and put his hand against the other man's chest.

"I've always heard that Black Shade have black hearts if they have hearts at all. I've never been able to prove that theory one way or the other." Vitani narrowed his eyes and Xia.

"My heart is as red as yours and beats just the same." Xia smiled and shook his head.

"Oh but my pet, I don't have a heart."

Katara looked at Aang as they sat in his room. She shook her head and looked around at the still dark room.

"It was too dark for me to actually see him, but I know something is wrong about it." Aang nodded.

"Yeah, I don't know why would a prison want a civilian to heal a prisoner." Katara shrugged and looked out the window at the pre-dawn sky. She frowned.

"I don't know. But I think we need to look into this a little."


	12. Chapter 12

**Ya'll don't know how long it took me to decide how I was going to do this chapter. But I like how it turned out. Beware, I didn't think the last chapter was graphic, maybe it was the mutilation part that got everyone, but I didn't see this on as very graphic either, therefore I am giving you proper warning. There will be blood. OH and this one is PACKED FULL OF tiny HINTS/CLUES!**

_Mary Mary quite contrary, How does your garden grow?_

Kilani stared at the door. Something was wrong. His brother should have come by now. He looked over to the three young men in the cages down from him. One of royal linage, dirty and blind. One with a fighter's spirit torn to pieces and covered thick with dried blood.

He looked down at his wrists with the metal shackles. He frowned. He folded his hands over and popped his knuckle so that his hands became smaller. He frowned and put his foot against the shackles and pushed the metal over his hands. He growled as the contraption fell to the floor of the cage. He shook his hands and popped his knuckles back into place. He looked hard at the bars. He moved his eyes over to look at the cage he and his brother had shared. He reached through the bars and placed his hand against the bars on that cage. He brought his hand back and put his hand against the bars in the cage he was in now.

He smiled. He looked over at the three younger men. Haru looked over at him and frowned.

"What?"

"I can get out. Anyone specific, you need to let know where you are?" Zuko turned to look at Kilani.

"We are traveling with two water benders and two earth benders. Find Toph or Katara." Haru frowned then looked over to Kilani.

"If you see a boy in a wheelchair, he's with us too. He could lead you to either of them" Kilani nodded. He gripped his hands around two of the bars. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Slowly the bars started to bend, but only a little. Haru jumped up onto his knees and stared at Kilani.

"How can you bend those?" Kilani looked over at Haru with a warm smile.

"The two idiots didn't think when they threw me into a metal cage. I can't fully use my fire, but I can manipulate the heat." Haru shook his head and looked at the bar. There still wasn't any way he could fit through the bars.

"It's not bent far enough." Kilani smiled and shook his head.

"As long as I can fit my head through it won't be a problem." Haru watched as Kilani put his shoulder against the bar. He pushed his shoulder through the small opening. Haru's eyes widened as the man brought his arm up and back until his entire shoulder blade was through the bars. Kilani moved and squeezed his head through the bars. Then he moved his other shoulder in the same fashion as the first one. His top half was completely out. Haru watched as the man arched his back and pushed his knee through the bars. He turned his hip to an odd angle and stood up pulling his other leg out. He looked over and Haru and smiled.

"It helps if your double jointed." He stood up and looked around. Haru was still struck dumb with wide eyes. The two twins had ended up being taller then he thought, but it was hard to tell how tall people were when they were curled up in a cage. Kilani moved over to the large metal door. He vaulted off of one of the cages and positioned himself above the door. Without him telling anyone what to do, some of the men began to yell, soon all of them were yelling at the top of their lungs.

The metal door flung open and Angus walked in..alone. Kilani smiled and dropped down behidn the large man silently. The yelling stopped instantly. Kilani grabbed the man from behind and with a quick snap broke the man's neck. And no longer then it took for the man's body fall tot he floor Kilani was gone.

Haru looked at the open door and the man laying in the floor. Angus's mouth hung limp but his eyes blinked out into the abyss. Haru shook his head. Kilani could have at least killed the bastard first. He looked over to Zuko.

"What are the odds that he'll actually find them? I mean that he'll keep his word?" Zuko smirked.

"He's Black Shade. Their loyal to a fault. Unless they're supposed to kill you." Haru frowned and glared at Zuko hard.

"Why did you tell him we were traveling with two earth benders and two water benders?" Zuko looked over at Haru. His vision was clearer but still fuzzy.

"Imagine for a moment, that I was fire nation. These men are among the highest quality royal assassins that have been around for hundreds of years. Suppose that they have a mission to kill the avatar. I don't want him knowing what he's gonna find." Haru frowned.

"That doesn't make sense, Zuko. He's gonna see Aang anyway." Zuko nodded.

"But Kilani comes off as a planner. He can't kill at the snap of the finger. He has to map out his plan of attack." Haru shook his head.

"Then how can he be an assassin." Zuko leaned back on his elbows and looked out into the cloud of his vision.

"Now Vitani. He's a different story. He's a quick temper. He is the exact opposite of his brother. He will kill without a second thought, with only a split second to react. When paired with each other they make the perfect killer. Each of them have flaws and strengths that compliments the other." Haru nodded then shook his head. He still didn't understand all of it but it didn't matter. Either they were going to get out pretty soon or, he turned to look at Sokka, they were going to die.

"Hmm. I have a new experiment I would like to try." Xia said looking over the bruised and bloody Vitani. He picked up a small jar and held it up so that Vitani could see the contents. He sloshed the contents around. Vitani watched as metal spheres, about the width of an eye, swirled in the clear liquid.

Xia smiled and set the jar down. He walked over and cut the leg of Vitani's pants just above the knee. He quickly did the same to the other side. He looked up at Vitani and smiled at him coyly.

"Ready, baby?" Vitani growled at him. Xia shook his head and drove a small blade into the bed of the man's knee. Vitani's leg tightened up and he let out a streaming hiss. Xia smiled and held the knife in place as he unscrewed the jar with his other hand. He pulled one of the metal spheres out. He looked up at Vitani with a smirk across his face.

"This might sting a little." He said and pulled out the knife. The wound gushed blood, but Xia pushed the metal ball into it with ease. A white foam appeared where the ball had passed and it began bubble. Vitani let out a deep growl and she closed his eyes. Xia pushed it to the center at the nape of the knee. He moved his fingers inside the wound and positioned them over the ball. He gently pushed the ball deeper into the tissue until it grazed the cartilage. He pulled his hand from the wound. He brought a spread of water from a basin across the room to his hand. He covered his hand and covered the wound, healing the ball inside, under the skin. As the water reknit the skin, he looked up at Vitani.

"A pity Fire benders, can't find some way to utilize their power into a means of good." Vitani stared down at the man.

"What you're doing is good? You're more fucked up then I thought." Xia smiled and rested his head against Vitani's thigh, looking up at him.

"No. I have found that the good that water benders can do, is greatly surpassed by the malevolent blessings we have been bestowed. Though..." He said and pulled back from the man's leg and checked the wound. He ran his hand over the smooth skin.

"Some could see my research as a learning tool, instead of the heinous crimes you see it as. I can't see though, how you can judge. Killing those you're ordered to without any question. Man, woman, or child. Truly, who is the bigger monster?" Vitani just glared darkly at the light haired man.

"You are. You don't kill and make it quick your victims have to suffer." Xia nodded.

"True. Most the upper most of my patients don't die because of something I had done. You're friend Kercha, is an exception." He said as he moved over to the other leg. He repeated the process with another of the spheres.

"He truly believed that he and his friend were going to pass on that blood disease to me. But after the parasite I had injected into them hatched, their cardiovascular muscles didn't stand a drunk man's chance in a brothel.." Vitani let out a jagged breath as Xia forced the metal deep into his knee. Xia just smiled and brought the water to his hand. Vitani glared down at him. The man was already covered in blood. The fucker had taken an entire slice of flesh out of his shoulder, he wanted to see if the tattoo would heal back normal. He blinked back the tears in his eyes and looked down at the man.

"That doesn't explain what you did to Hiiu."

"Hiiu was in a different category, all together. You see not only was he one of my blood pets, he was my lover." He stood up and ran his hand over the wound on the bend of Vitani's arm that he had made earlier. "All of my prisoners believe that I am some sort of sick rapist. No, I'm just sort of sick doctor. I have never taken liberties with any of my patients. Until Brutus brought in this wonderfully beautiful Earth kingdom boy. He had a decadent little body, all the femininity and grace of a woman with out the baggage. " He pushed the metal sphere deep into the bend of Vitani's arm, under the tendons, nestled safely in the curl of the joint. As he healed up that wound he continued.

"I can remember quite vividly the first time I brought blood from him. He moaned and a small laugh escaped his mouth. Thinking of it gives me chills. That single sound could sent my body into automatic euphoria. He blinked those wonderful greens eyes at me, and then it became apparent. He wasn't a stranger to the pleasures of pain. Truly something I must suggest. Thought you will find no use of it, seeing as how I have absolutely no intention of letting you escape. If someone gets the chance to make love covered in fresh blood, they should take it." He said as he slit Vitani's wrist quickly. He held his thumb over the wound to keep it from gushing. Vitani glared at the man as the nausea began to rise in his stomach. The sick bastard was talking to him so casually, like they were having tea instead of both being covered in blood with fucking metal balls stuffed inside of him. Xia's eyes turned dark and the favor fled from his eyes.

"I seem to be quite found of Earth Kingdom breed. Hiiu had noticed how my attention had wandered to an even more gorgeous and suitable prize. When he found out that I had planned on taking the long haired boy, he became insanely jealous. No doubt you had seen the thousands of scars that covered his back. He never wanted to be healed. Just let it burn, he would say." He snorted as he walked over to Vitani's other arm and repeated the process, again. "Then he tried to escape, making the threat that he would tell everyone of my midnight duties. I couldn't have him ruining my fun, so he had to be disposed of." Xia healed up the man's elbow and wrist quicker then he had taken with the others. He set the blade gently against the dip in Vitani's collar bones.

"Now, he grows beautiful moon lilies in the Garden of Souls." He said and drove the blade into the man's body with a small spray.

Toph walked along the streets shaking her head. She was being used as a lie detector again. She frowned as Katara led her into the inn. They had waited until late in the morning. A small girl with black hair was at the bar. Katara walked up and looked around.

"Excuse me, where's Dexia?" The girl turned her yellow eyes up to glare at Katara.

"Just you the hell are you to be asking about him." Katara frowned.

"I'm a friend. He was supposed to meet me this morning. He didn't show up." The small woman narrowed her eyes. She was in her early twenties, but she was small. Her chest and the fire in her eyes were the only things keeping her from being called a child.

"He'll meet you when I say he can."

"Oh so you're his boss? I thought he ran this place." The girl was lightening quick as she brought the blade she was using to cut some croppaberries, up under Katara's chin.

"Listen here pretty bird, take your friends and leave." Aang stepped around Katara and pushed the blade back.

"I'm sorry I think we got off on the wrong foot. I'm Aang and we just wanted to talk to Dexia." The girls eyes went soft as she looked over the young avatar that was slightly taller then herself.

"You're the avatar? Kinda small, but who am I to call you small." She grinned, as a sweet face over took her wildcat features. She smiled and looked over to Katara.

"That means you're the water bender huh?" Katara nodded utterly confused by the snap change of personalities. " he left a message for you. He's sorry but he has some urgent business to attend to out of town. He'll be back tonight. But he left you and your friends breakfast." She turned around and pulled a tray out of a warming stove. She set them down on the bar. The plates were covered in deliciousness. Katara looked over the exotic food.

"Is it safe?" The small girl smiled.

"Absolutely! I already ate a plate." Katara looked down at Toph and the blind girl nodded.

"Sound's good to me. And plus I'm hungry." They took the trays back to the others. Katara sat down and looked at the food suspiciously. Red berries covered in sauce took up a good portion of the plate, the other half was taken up by what looked like eggs, with bits of meat in it. She looked over at the others who were gobbling it down. She pushed the eggs around and frowned at a piece of the meat. She picked it up one side of it was black. She snarled her nose and held it over to Aang. Aang shrugged his shoulders. He had traded his egg stuff to the Duke for the berries. Katara held it over to Teo. He looked at it as he stuffed another bunch into his mouth. He swallowed and nodded his head.

"It's the animal. Sometimes back home the animal raisers would brand the animals so that they knew who they belonged to." Katara nodded and put the small chuck on the far end of her plate.

After they were finished Katara and Toph took the the trays back to the small woman at the bar. Katara shook her head with a smile.

"Those berries were delicious. What was that sauce?" The small woman grinned. She bent down and came back up with a small jar half full of the red sauce. She smiled.

"Dexia's secret recipe. Here try it raw! It's great like this on top of a roasted papaya." She opened the jar and handed Katara and Toph a dried apricot. They each dipped the fruit into the sauce and took a bite. The woman was right, it had just enough of a kick that mad it interesting. Katara thanked the woman and walked out. Toph grabbed Katara's arm and jerked her to the side. She slapped her hand over her mouth.

"He's following us. He reeks of fire bender." Katara watched as a man with long black hair pulled back into a pony tail came out of the inn. He was thin, but not in a sickly way. He walked right over to the corner they were hiding and leaned against the side of the building just around the corner from them.

"If you think you are hiding. You could do better then that." Katara frowned. As he rolled around the corner. Toph stomped the ground sending a wave of Earth at him, he jumped over it and slid down the other side to stop right in front of Katara. She brought water to her hands from her pouch and started to freeze him.

"Sokka's in trouble." He said with a smile.

Zuko rubbed his eyes as his vision finally cleared completely. He looked over at Sokka and frowned. He hadn't heard the boy's voice in hours. He looked over at the open door. Angus's body bad become pale and the dark colors of death had settled into the skin. He watched as Brutus lumbered in holding his head. He stumbled over the large man and looked to the floor. He frowned and looked up seeing the large metal clamp lock, that was held over the door in case they needed to lock down the room, had fallen. He looked down and saw where the lock was laying a few feet way from Angus's head.

"Stupid ass. I told him not to come in here by himself." He growled and drug the body out of the room. He walked back in and grabbed the needle. He popped another cylinder of venom into the syringe. He grumbled and walked over to Haru's cage and without any kind of for waring jabbed it into the cage. Haru jumped back but that just aggravated the large man further and he jabbed the needle in again and again until he hit home, deep on Haru's stomach. He threw open the cage and grabbed the boy. He threw him over his shoulder and kicked the door shut. Zuko stared with wide eyes as the entire scene took only two minutes. The large man hadn't even noticed that Kilani was gone.

**Hmm Long chapter. Let me know what you think, and point out any clues that you think were there. Review please!...I would get on my knees and beg but that might seem a little desperate.**


	13. Chapter 13

Zuko looked around at the other cages. Men that were close to death, thin, gaunt and close to complete mental breakdown. He took a deep breath and shook his head. He sat up and folded his legs. He closed his eyes and let the breath out slowly.

The black closed in around him, wrapped around him like a blanket and sent hot spouts up his veins. A small dot of flame begin in the distance of the darkness. A spiral of flame curled out from that small dot. Stretched out into the far abyss, getting closer with every pump of his heart. The head of a dragon formed from the tip of the flame. The orange and yellow tendrils reached out into the darkness touching things hidden in his mind he had long fought to forget. The great beast stopped right short of diving into him. A smile curled over the dragons lips revealing the long sharp teeth. The dragon blinked and the flames began to wrap around the dragon, creating a column of flame in front of him. Slowly as it burned it began curve. Suddenly the flames dropped leaving a tall woman in front of him. Her golden eyes shown down at him, love emanating from them. She looked down at him then turned to look out into the darkness. With a blink she was gone, and Iroh stood in her place. He followed the same fashion as his mother disappearing after looking into the darkness.

Zuko frowned and opened his eyes. He looked over the direction that his vision had prompted him too. He stared at Sokka. The boy hadn't moved or anything since he had been brought back. He needed help. That's all there was to it. He looked back over as Brutus walked in. He walked over to Zuko and looked down at him. Zuko frowned.

"You and your master are monsters. What does he get out of doing these things? What did Sokka do to deserve being mutilated like that?" Brutus looked over at Sokka then looked back to Zuko.

"Research." Zuko growled and glared up at the man.

"What kind of research involves taking a blade to a young man's penis? What kind of research is that?!" Brutus smiled and shook his head.

"Which brings me to the reason I am here." Zuko's eyes went wide as the man threw a small needle into his leg. Zuko stared down at the needle as his vision began to blur.

"NO! Not again!" He growled and tore the needle from his leg. He grabbed Brutus leg and drove it hard into it. Brutus grabbed the boy by the hair and jerked his head against the stone bars. Zuko fell back and laid down on the cage floor. Brutus swung the cage door open, he leaned in to grab the bleeding boy, only to have a knee jerk up to slam ins jaw shut. Zuko sprung up and knocked the man back. He stumbled for a moment trying to fight the poison coursing through his system. He reached down and grabbed the keys from Brutus before the man had a chance to get up. He jumped over the man and fought the lock. His vision doubled as he tried to get the damned key in the lock. He felt his stomach begin to knot as he finally threw the cage door open. He stumbled inside the cage and closed the door, clutching the keys tight to his body. He moved back to the end of the cage as the darkness started to set in. He shook his head violently trying to fight off the impending unconsciousness. He heard the large man jerk on the cage door, but his vision had already gone. He pushed himself as far to the back of the cage he could manage.

"Leave him." Zuko frowned as the voice rose above the chaos in his mind. He didn't know that voice. But he didn't have anytime to think further into it, his mind slipped into the abyss.

Haru groaned as the numb sensation began to leave his body. A fire shot to life from his naval down to the very end of his toes. A searing pain doubled him over, before he even had a chance to open his eyes. He fought against the chains on his wrists as he tried to hold his abdomen. An overwhelming nausea hit his mind and he rolled over onto his side as much as he could. It hurt deep inside every time his stomach lurched. His insides were on fire and trying to burst forth from his skin.

"You need to calm down. You're body hasn't yet adjusted back to it's normal state." Haru blinked his eyes open and looked across the room where Xia sat. He was leaning back in a chair his arms folded nonchalantly over his naked stomach. Haru blinked back the tears driven to his eyes from the intense throbbing pain. He closed his eyes and fought back an urge to cry out. He opened his eyes again and Xia was standing next to him. He knelt down and looked at Haru.

"It only hurts the first few times, trinket" He said and brought his hand up to move the hair out of Haru's face. He gently ran his hand along Haru's face and down onto his neck. Haru watched as Xia's eyes danced over his body. Xia touched his shoulder lightly and moved it to rest on the boy's stomach. Haru's body wined at the weight of the touch. Haru's senses began to come back to him and the realization hit him that he was chained to a bed. Panic surged through him. He arched against the chains and felt the skin around his wrists tear. He tried to pull his wrists free and felt the spray of hot blood slash against his face as the shackles bit into one of the veins in his wrists. He pulled against the chains on his legs, but as he moved the pain intensified sending him to his side.

Xia watched the boy writhe in pain. He shook his head and walked over to his chair pulling on his white shirt. He slowly buttoned his shirt as he walked over to the bed. He gently stroked the top of Haru's head lovingly.

"Would you like the pain to go away, trinket?" Haru fought back the constant need to gag as the tears flowed down his face. He couldn't move without every nerve screaming in pain. Xia shook his head and took a small syringe off of the table. He moved Haru's long brown hair away from his neck. Haru jolted away from his touch. Xia watched the boy thrash until the pain over took him again. He gently injected the clear liquid into the boy's neck. Xia rubbed the boy's neck and watched as the concoction began to work through the boy's body. He stood up and walked over to his small table.

He took a small box in hand and walked over to look at Haru. He sat down on the bed next to the boy. He sat the small box next to him and took his knife in hand. He worked quickly cutting along the boy's arms in four inch intervals from his shoulder to his wrist. He took the box In hand and picked up one of the fingernail sized pouches. He quickly pushed each on down into the flesh. Healing the arm when he was done. He smoothed his hand over the boy's arm and smiled.

"Now, you can't leave me." Xia unchained the boy's hands and feet. He gently picked him up and carried him out of the room. He held the small boy like a child as he stopped in front of one of the other doors. He looked in and smiled. Vitani glared at him from under dark eyelashes. He snarled his nose and stuck out his tongue at the man. Xia smiled as his work showed well. Vitani curled his nose and pulled his split tongue back in his mouth.

"I told you, my little viper, act like a snake, and I would make you one."

"Then this constrictors' gonna have you for lunch!" Xia smiled and shook his head.

"Now now, instead of firing off at the mouth, why don't just get me with a fireball?" Vitani glared at him and turned away. Xia smiled.

"That's what I thought." He turned and walked until he came to a large metal door. He pushed the door open and walked into the extremely clean room. He set the boy on the long metal table and looked over him. He smiled and ran his hand over Haru's neck.

"The dew from the morphana flower will wear off in a bout thirty seconds. Let's see just how well you handle yourself when in excruciating pain." He watched as the boy's muscles began to tense. Xia fastened the latches over the boy's arms. He moved down and latched the shackles over Haru's ankles. Xia looked over the naked boy and mused himself. How he had turned to a lover of men was a wonder to him. He crossed his arms as the boy began to stir, then there was that little water bender back in the village. She was a real catch, but she was young and ignorant. A frown of disgust crossed his face. She had lashed out at him. He closed his eyes and shook the thought out of his mind. Her brother paid for her temper. He opened his eyes and looked at Haru. The boy's green eyes were bright with fear.

"Ah, trinket, you caught me in mid thought. Tell me something though, are you accustom to pain?" Haru's pupils shrunk to almost the size of a pin point. He tried to move away from Xia, fully aware that he was strewn out naked on a table and in the most vulnerable state of his life. Xia picked up a large slab and laid it on the table next to Haru. Haru stared down at the slab that was covered in close to a hundred long needles. Xia smiled.

"Tell me if it hurts, won't you?" He said and drove one of the needles into Haru's side causing the boy to jerk away. He hissed in pain bringing a smile to Xia's face. He left the needle in the skin and took another from the slab. He pushed the tip against Haru's thigh, just as the point broke through the skin, Haru jumped, breaking the point off inside of Him. Xia stood up and looked down at the needle blankly.

"Well, we'll just see how that works out." He said and took another needle in hand.

Katara threw her water whip around the man and froze it solid. Kilani smiled as he looked at her. There wasn't a wonder that this girl had the pyscho's interested.

"What did you do to SOKKA?!" She growled. He looked at her and blinked his honey colored eyes.

"You do realize that I am fire bender, and that frozen water will just evaporate if I want it to? You can see know that I mean you no harm. I know where you brother and the others are." Katara growled and brought an ice dagger to her hand. Toph caught Katara's wrist and and pulled her back.

"Wait. He's telling the truth, that and you don't have him scared in the slightest." Kilani looked over to Toph and smiled. Here was the blind earth bender he had been warned about.

"They are being held and tortured. Along with many others, including my brother. If you let me go, I'm sure we can find a way to get back there." Katara narrowed her eyes.

"If you are so damned smug, get out of it yourself." Kilani shook his head and the water steamed off of him. He had covered himself in peasants clothes. He hadn't had the chance to find his swords that had been taken from him.

"How do you know all this?"

"I just escaped from there." Toph frowned.

"If you just escaped from there why can't you lead us back the way you came." Kilani stared at Katara, her blue eyes focused on his golden ones.

"Because the way I came out leads you directly past the various torture rooms, one of which is being used. I can't lead in the untrained. You would be found and killed before we even got to the cages."

"Cages?!" Katara felt light headed. She grabbed the mans wrist and looked at him with desperate eyes.

"Take us to them!"


	14. Chapter 14

_**A little gross-ness at the end. Hmm a little mention of pubic hair, um more insight to Xia and...OH heh a little bit of cruelness from my precious Kilani.**_

Katara burst in the door of the room she had left Aang and the others in, to find Aang the color of a good snow storm. His face was damp with sweat.

"What's wrong?!" She knelt down next to him and looked at Teo. The boy shrugged his shoulders and looked at Katara with wide eyes.

"I don't know. All the sudden he turned real pale, then started to shake." Katara looked over him, his eyes were bloodshot as he looked up at her. Toph folded her arms waiting for orders. Kilani watched intently. The arrows on the boy's head and arms gave him away instantly. He stared down at the young avatar and narrowed his eyes. _Two water benders, and two earth benders. But two are one in the same. Smart prince._ His eyes moved away to settled on a small plate that seemed to be forgotten when they had taken the other plates back. He walked over and looked down at the plate a black piece of meat catching his eye. He knelt down and move the meat with a chopstick. He froze. He turned to look back at the young earth bender.

"What were you eating?" Toph frowned.

"Well the inn keep fixed us breakfast. Eggs with either turtle duck or dog pig." He shook his head and looked over at Katara, and the avatar.

"Did he eat any of this?" He said pointing with the chopstick. Katara looked down at Aang and shook her head.

"No. He traded it for the berries." Kilani frowned and ran his finger around the plate where the berries had been. He brought it up and licked it off. He frowned then looked over at Katara.

"You need to sit down." Katara turned and glared at him. Toph walked over and sat next to Aang on the couch. If this fire bender sat sit, with his heart beating that fast by god she was going to sit. Katara obviously didn't get it. She crossed her arms.

"Why?" He cocked an eyebrow at her and shook his head. He picked up the plate and held it out to her showing the piece of meat he had picked up.

"This isn't a piece of animal. It's flesh. Human flesh." She stared at him and it didn't seem to sink in. She frowned and looked at him.

"How would you know that?" He blinked at her.

"This marking. I'd recognize it anywhere. It's a piece of my brother's tattoo." Katara's eyes went wide and her hand shot up to cover her mouth.

"What?!" Toph said covering her mouth as well, the other's following suit very quickly. Kilani set the plate down and looked at Katara.

"You might want to sit down." Katara shook her head.

"No. You told me that I ate human, anything else I think I can handle." Kilani cocked his eyebrow. If she wanted to be stubborn, fine. He crossed his arms over his chest as his honey eyes glowed.

"Before I escaped, you're brother was brought in with chunks cut out of his back. My best guess is that these darker pieces are you big brother's" Katara stared at him. She wavered for a moment before her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she hit the floor. Toph's eyes were wide, she gagged then jumped to her feet. It only took her two steps to hit the window. Aang sat up and stared at Kilani with wide eyes.

"You mean that no only did they eat people, but they ate Sokka?" Kilani shrugged.

"No. Not all of him. Just some slabs off of his back." The duke was quick to join Toph at the window. Teo forced himself to control his stomach, considering he had double what the others had. Aang shook his head as a piercing throb hit him straight between the eyes. He grabbed the bridge of his nose and shook his head.

"Was it poisoned as well." Kilani shook his head. He walked over and put his hand against the avatar's forehead.

"Not in the typical way there. But the berries that you found so delicious, were covered in a sauced that's base was blood." Aang looked up into the golden eyes only a few inches from his own.

"Wh..what?" Kilani nodded.

"Yes. Your body is rejecting the meat based protein that was in the blood." Aang's eyes dilated. His eyes shot solid blue for a moment. He tore away from Kilani and stared at them.

"What the hell is going on! Who the hell are you!? Why the hell did I just eat blood?!" Kilani watched as the avatar paced the floor spouting off question after question. He looked down at the floor where Katara was beginning to stir. He knelt down next to her and picked her head up as she opened her eyes.

"Did you just tell me that I ate my brother?" Kilani nodded.

"Yes. But you missed the best part. Those berries were sauced in blood, that's why your friend is so sick." Katara's eyes went wide and her heart began to beat wildly in her chest.

"Spirits! Who..." She stuttered as her mind tried to wrap her mind around what this man just told her. She frowned as a major question worked into her mind.

"Wait...How can we trust you?" Kilani's eyes went blank and held a hint of danger behind them. She suddenly felt the need to hold her tongue and apologize to him for asking. He pulled the collar of his shirt down exposing the intricate tattoo that licked over his neck and shoulder. She stared at it for a moment the her eyes got wider.

"It's the same as the..." Kilani nodded and pulled his hand out from under her head causing it to drop to the wooden floor. He stood up and walked over to the young Aang. He grabbed him by the shoulders and made him stop.

"Look. Getting sick, pacing the floor, and asking questions are not going to save those men. Now we need to get out of here before he finds us." Toph blinked and wiped her mouth.

"Just who are we talking about here?" Kilani looked at her coldly.

"The same man, that has fed you, given you shelter, and made the water bender lose her senses."Katara stood up and shook her head.

"You mean..Dexia?" Kilani frowned as he turned to look at her.

"Is that what he goes by up here? He calls himself 'Xia' in the dungeon." Katara felt the terror and the guilt flood into her at the same time. She frowned and shook her head. She closed her eyes tight as the stupidity in her actions filled her. Kilani frowned at her.

"Don't hate yourself yet, girly. Wait till you see your brother." He growled all the kindness gone, the soft, and patient man was replaced by the rare glimpse of killer, the hardly graced his face.

Zuko blinked his eyes open. He blinked again and was almost ecstatic that he could actually see. He pushed himself and felt around for the key ring. He cussed when it wasn't in the cage. He looked over to Sokka and frowned. He moved over to the boy and took a deep breath. He hadn't actually seen the damage that had been done. He pulled back the blanket and looked over Sokka. The boy's face was sunk in and looked horrible. Zuko pushed the free hairs out of Sokka's face and shook his head. He looked over Sokka's shoulder where a large circular scar had begin to form. Zuko ran his hand over the scar carefully. He pushed the blanket further off of Sokka. He frowned as he looked at the X burn on his hip. Zuko took a deep breath and looked down to the atrocious sight. A shiver ran over him. Zuko looked around at the men in the cages. There was nothing he could use to clean him, nothing he could use to sew him up.

The metal door flew open. Zuko sighed. _Goddammit. Not again. _Zuko looked up as Brutus came lumbering in. He was dragging a very bloody, unconscious Vitani in behind him. He threw open the cage and tossed the man in with a grunt. Zuko's mind reeled. What if he noticed that Kilani was gone?! Zuko scrambled about his mind for a moment, then yelled out.

"Brutus!" The large man turned to look at Zuko. He lumbered over to the cage and stared at the young fire bender.

"What?!" Zuko narrowed his eyes.

"If he must tear people up like this, at least let me clean him. Can I have some water?" Brutus frowned then looked around. All the water benders that had been in the cages were dead. He turned back and snarled at Zuko.

"The master cannot know of it." Brutus walked out of the room and returned a little while later with a bowl of dirty water, but water none the less. "I would not do this, if I didn't agree with the fate of that boy. No man deserves that." Zuko took the bowl and looked at Brutus coldly.

"If you disagree with it, then why do you listen to Xia." Brutus smiled at that.

"If you haven't noticed, but Xia is a very intelligent person. He was a great surgeon at a young age for the Northern Water Tribe, until he was accused of raping one of his patients." Brutus looked around at the other men. He laughed and looked back at Zuko. "He was the gentlest person you would have ever wished to meet. He took a lot after his mother. But after being falsely accused he was sent to live with his father, here in the Earth Kingdom. Who, was not a gentle person, in fact he was a vicious murder." Brutus laughed again his large girth jiggling as he laughed. Zuko frowned. An idea came to him as he tore a piece of what was left of his pants.

"How did you end up as a bodyguard for him?" Brutus smiled.

"Heh. Well, you see. I **am** a rapist. My victims of choice are young men, like your friend there. Angus was a murderer. But he was no where near as good at it as Xia. But see, here's the deal. Xia is so my type. Exotic, beautiful, and with a body that really give meaning to cut. So when he busted me out of prison, my first action was to take the beauty as my own." Brutus frowned and shook his head. "But that is a mistake I will never make again. He slit my throat, without a qualm about it. Before I bled completely to death he healed me. Death would have been a release from the pain that was." Brutus caught himself and frowned. He grumbled and walked out of the room slamming the door behind him.

Zuko looked down at Sokka. He dabbed the small piece of cloth in the dirty water. He started cleaning the blood off of Sokka, starting with the clots tangled in his hair. Zuko fought back the urge to gag as he began to dab the cloth over the boy's mangled manhood. The blood was dried and a thin stream of pus started to ooze out as the blood was cleaned away. Zuko looked down at the partially cleaned man and frowned. When he had done this, he wasn't precise, clean, or methodical. He was ravenous, cruel and deliberate. Zuko's frown deepened.

If he took so much pride in healing the ones he tortured, so that he could only cause them more pain, why would he do something like this? Why would he leave this boy to die, if the wounds weren't tended? Why, being a man himself, why would he mutilate someone like this and leave it to heal however the skin attached?


	15. Chapter 15

Haru stared at Xia as he tried to cover his nakedness. The man had his hands shackled behind his back. He was sitting in the middle of a cold stone floor. Xia looked down at him with a warm smile.

"Do you want to know why I told you that I wouldn't bend if I were you?"

"Rot in hell!" Xia smiled and knelt down in front of the boy. Xia touched the boy's cheek and looked over him lovingly.

"Yes, but you'll be with me, trinket." Haru jerked back from his touch and snarled his nose.

"Quit! Stop fucking calling me trinket." Xia smiled and leaned forward placing palms on either side of Haru causing him to lean back with wide eyes.

"Would you rather me call you Pet? Bitch? Or how about I just call you ..." Xia narrowed his eyes and in the same instance that a demonic air took over his face, Haru couldn't help but see the dark beauty that shown through the features."...Mine." He whispered, looking straight into Haru's eyes. He stood up and smiled down at the shaking boy. He tilted his head to the side.

"You're cold, my sweet." Haru felt a violent shiver take over him. _My sweet, that's worse then trinket! _Xia walked over and picked up a dark green piece of cloth from a hook on the wall...the hook being the only other thing in the room except the two of them. Haru tensed up as the pain in his gut had yet to subside. Xia walked over and threw the large green cloak around Haru and knelt down pulling the cloak around the boy. His eyes went dark as he looked at Haru.

"You weren't aware of it, but while you were unconscious, I had the privilege of embedding within you a few of my pets." Xia smiled and slipped his hand through the opening of the cloak to set it gently on Haru's chest. "The parasitic eggs, are very delicate. If they become excited then they will hatch. There are several pouches of eggs inside your body, each pouch holding four of my little beasties." Xia smiled and stood up pulling the bound boy to his feet. Xia walked around the boy pulling his long brown hair free from the cloak to hang loose down over the green cloth. Haru frowned and brought his leg back to kick at Xia, but the man grabbed his foot and slammed him face first onto the ground. He placed a strong hand on Haru's back holding him down.

"The eggs become excited when they are stimulated by chakra, which goes without saying is a constant in ones body. But my little critters are specially bred to withstand the normal amount. It isn't until you try to access those lovely earth bending abilities of yours, that will allow enough stimulus for the eggs to become larval." Xia said as he placed a knee where his hand had been. He pulled Haru's hair up and began to braid it.

"You have to understand, no one else knows those are inside of you. Nor do you know where they are. I would hate to see what kind of mess your body would be in if someone tried to get them out. After a year the eggs will become dormant, with no chance of hatching." He said as he stood up. He tied the end of Haru's braid with a piece of string and pulled him to his feet. Haru stared at the man.

"Better to let the eggs hatch then to stay here with you." Xia smiled and pulled the boy over to the door.

"The parasite eggs are tiny, but the larva itself is about the size of your little finger. They live off of muscular tissue." He stopped and pressed a finger against Haru's stomach. "But if they are not in a place where muscular tissue is available, they will eat what is. They also will travel through your body, but in doing so they tear nerves, ligaments and just about whatever else gets in it's way." Haru stared up at the man. His eyes dropped down to where Xia was pointing. He jerked away from him and covered his stomach.

"Get them out of me." Xia smile widened.

"Oh no, my sweet. If I were to try and extract them now, as soon as the fertilized came in contact with air, they would hatch, and most likely dive back into the skin. It would be just speeding up the process. But your solution is simple." Xia said as he pushed the cloak off of the boy, letting it fall to a green mound on the floor.

"Stay here with me, and you won't have to suffer in that way." Haru snarled his nose up.

"No, there are other ways of making me suffer." Xia frowned as he looked over Haru. He walked around him placing his hands on the boy's shoulders.

"You don't understand yet. You are mine. You will not suffer past the boundaries of your discipline. No more knives, no more pins and the needles only last until you become submissive." Haru turned to look at him with hate filled eyes.

"What?" Xia ran his hands along Haru's arms.

"There are only two more things that need to be done to you. Then all the pain that will come to you, is what you'll learn to enjoy in time. I wouldn't have killed my pet Hiiu for someone that wasn't better. But you'll get better treatment. Fed, clothed, comfortable." Haru jerked away from the man.

"How the hell can I be comfortable here?!" Xia eyes softened. He took a few steps to Haru, backing him into the door. Xia smiled and leaned over grabbing the door knob, he stopped as he stared at the boy for a moment. With a turn and a push, Haru stumbled back into the open door. He tried to catch his balance but ended up falling back onto a large fur rug. Haru frowned and looked around the large room. It truly looked like the throne room that the king of Ba Sing Sei had. Xia smiled and bent over picking Haru up gently.

"Come trinket. You need clothes."

Aang held his head as he felt another wave of nausea coming on. He grabbed a nearby tree and felt his stomach empty itself. Kilani watched as the Avatar threw up. He shook his head. Xia had found ways of torturing out side the walls of his dungeon. Katara stopped and looked back at the rest.

"The garden is just over the hill. We need to be very careful, he has two very large bodyguards, that I think are benders." Kilani walked up even with her. He stopped and turned his head to look at her.

"There's only one body guard left. And he's a firebender." Katara frowned.

"What happened to the other one?" Kilani smiled and shrugged his shoulders as he continued walking.

"I killed him." Katara made an o with her mouth and nodded. Toph laughed.

"You ask, didn't you?" Katara frowned.

"Yeah. I guess I did." Toph slapped Aang hard on the back.

"Come on Twinkle Toes, we got us a few men to save." Kilani stopped and turned to look at her.

"Not just a few. Sixty three, are in his cages now." Aang looked up at Kilani with wide eyes.

"SIXTY THREE?" Kilani nodded as they rounded the top of the hill at the granite gates. His eyes scanned the garden warily. Katara grabbed his arm. He looked over at her and she pointed to a small hill out from them.

"Over there. That's where the tomb is." He stopped and turned around looking at them.

"We are here to rescue. Get in, get out. Do not linger here long. And DO not go looking for Xia. Once my brother is free will take care of him."

"No." Katara said. Kilani looked at her with unsurprised eyes.

"You are not trained for something like this. Further more as much a pain that you try to be, you have a heart. I cannot see you killing this man." Katara crossed her arms over her chest.

"Hell hath no fury.." Kilani grabbed her and clamped his hand hard over her mouth. She stared up at him with wide eyes, but his eyes were looking over her head. He looked down at her for a moment.

"Shh." He slowly knelt down taking her with him. He glance behind him and Toph had her hand planted hard in the middle of Aang's back both of them laying on their bellies. He dropped his hand and pushed her to the ground. Kilani watched as the large man lumbered into the garden, with a body over his shoulder.

"Sixty two.." Kilani hissed through his teeth. He rolled over onto his back and unbuttoned the shirt he hand on. He pulled the large baggy shirt away from him and rolled back over. Katara glared at him. Did he really have to take his shirt off? He turned to look at her as if he had heard her.

"Stay." His hissed. She frowned and opened her mouth to protested being ordered around like a dog, but he again clamped his hand over her mouth. His fire eyes were just a few inches from her.

"Stay!" He ordered. He looked back up and watched as Brutus lumbered over to pre-dug hole. He dropped the body down into and picked up the shovel. Kilani smiled. He had been waiting for this chance.


	16. Chapter 16

Kilani moved to a crouching position. He gave the others a quick warning glare, then moved in the darkness. The moon illuminated his pale skin, but among the shadows of the trees and shrugs be melted in. He made his way over to Brutus. A flame daggar appeared in his hand, and so far he was unnoticed.

Then somebody had to sneeze. He turned around and glared at mound of dirt where he had left them, dissolving the dagger back into his skin.

"Dammit." He hissed. He turned around to see Brutus staring at him. Kilani smiled.

"Hi Brutus." The large man threw down the shovel and stared at the other man.

"How the hell did you get out?" Kilani shrugged and began to walk over to the man casually.

"Your friend let me out." Brutus snarled.

"You're the one that killed Angus?" Kilani looked at the large man innocently as he shrugged again walking around the man to stand next to the hole.

"I can't say that we hadn't given the two of you proper warning. Just who are you burying now? Another victim of Xia's to grow these magnificent flowers?" He said as he turned his head to effortlessly look down into the hole. His mouth fell open a little and he turned his head back slowly to stare at Brutus. Kilani shook his head.

"Vitani? See, now killing you is going to be even more worth it." Kilani growled as his fist erupted into flames. Brutus growled and sunk into position. Kilani moved in a streak of flames. Knocking the large man back. Brutus gained his balance and charged at the smaller man. Kilani held his ground until the last moment when he dropped to the ground in a split and Brutus fell over him. He rolled forward and shot his legs up knocking Brutus to the ground. The man stood up making sure that he didn't fall into the hole. Kilani stopped and stared at the man. He watched as Vitani crawled out of the hole behind Brutus silently. The twins' eyes met. Kilani walked forward slowly as Vitani stood behind Brutus. Once Kilani was about a foot away he brought his leg around for a round house, but Brutus caught it. Kilani smiled and pointed over Brutus's shoulder, but before he could turn to look his legs were kicked out from under him. He let go of Kilani's leg as he tried to catch himself, only to have the man kick him backwards into the hole. Kilani looked down into the hole his brother walking over to stand beside him. They stuck their hands out and without another word, roasted the man inside the hole until he screamed no more.

Kilani turned and looked at Vitani and shook his head.

"I would have never thought to play dead." Vitani smiled.

"That dumb ass didn't even know to check my pulse." They two smiled and hugged each other. Kilani looked back over his shoulder. They started walking back to where he had left the others.

Katara stood up and tried to shake the sound of screams out of her head. Aang closed his eyes, he was only glad that he didn't have to witness it. Toph stood up and stretched her arms up high in the air. As Kilani appeared at the top of the small mound, so did another man with him. They started to walk down to them, when the new man lost his footing. He stumbled down the hill and stopped right before running into Katara. He stood up straight and looked down at her with wide eyes.

"uh. Hi." Katara looked up at him and blinked. She frowned and looked over to Kilani, then back to the new guy. Aang looked at Kilani.

"Your brother?" Kilani nodded.

"How could ya tell?" Vitani laughed. Kilani walked over and touched his brother's shoulder gently where the flesh was missing. He shook his head. Vitani turned around and looked at Kilani.

"Who are your friends?" Kilani picked up the discarded shirt and pressed it against his brother's back trying to get the dirt off.

"The girl there is Sokka's sister. The blind one is their earth bender, and the bald one is the avatar." Vitani nodded and turned to look at Katara.

"Have you told them just what kinda shape that they are in?"

"No, but you actually missed the worst part." Vitani's eyes narrowed as he looked at Katara. He ignored his brother's statement and spoke directly to her.

"Do you know that it was your brother that you healed?" Katara stared at him.

"What?"

"A man brought to the village, gagged, bound, and masked." Katara shook her head.

"I knew something was wrong, and I knew that I knew the man from somewhere. I just didn't have enough light to recognize him." Vitani hissed as his brother tore a piece of hanging flesh from his back. And that brought a reminder to him.

"Kilani." Kilani looked up at his brother in question only to have Vitani stick out his tongue. Kilani stared with furrowed eyebrows at his brother's tongue. The tip had been sliced in half. Kilani shook his head.

"He's truly a sick monster." Vitani shook his head.

"Wait till you see what he's done to Haru." Katara shook her head and looked at Aang.

"What do you mean? What's going on?" Aang growled, knowing that he had started to repeat himself.

Xia patted Haru on the shoulder as he stood him up. Haru's mind was entirely too busy trying to come up with a way out of there to notice the harem pants that had been put on him.

"You are thinking about escaping? Aren't you, trinket?" Haru looked up at Xia without saying a word. Xia smiled and pulled on the chain that was connected to the shackles that held Haru's wrists.

"You shouldn't. Because I have already taken into account the fact that you will try to fight, perhaps sacrifice yourself to help out your friends. If you do decide to fight, or try to escape, I will see to it that you little friends in the cages die in the most horrific way possible. And that doesn't even count what I would do to your friends on the outside. Although the avatar is a little young for my research, I would love to see what makes him tick." Haru stared up at Xia with furrowed brows.

"What research could possibly be done, with what you did to Sokka?" Xia looked down at him in confusion. He smiled and pulled Haru into his arms.

"Let me show you something." He walked with his arm around Haru over to a large door. Xia pushed the door open and Haru stared inside. The enormous room was filled with jars. Xia pushed Haru in as he walked over to one of he shelves. He picked up a jar and frowned.

"I thought there was more in here." He placed it back on the self and turned to Haru. "My love these are all samples I have collected over the years. Many would call them souvenirs. How ever you look at it. This jar here contains, the blood I collected from your friend Zuko." He said pointing to the jar he had picked up. He motioned towards the other thousands of jars.

"Each contains something of the men that have passed through here, kept in a conservative fluid for study. Bones from some who died, fingertips, toes. Heh." He stopped as he picked up a jar and showed it to Haru. "Tongues. This man was the very first in my collect. That was before I actually accepted what I am. He called me a psychotic manipulative mad man, so I cut out his tongue." He placed the jar back on the shelf and turned to look at Haru.

"Muscle tissue collected from warriors, brain tissue from scholars. Eyes from the blind, ears from the deaf. All for the purpose of research. Here, here is the one I was looking for." He said and picked up a small jar. He frowned.

"There should be more in this one as well." He eyes went dark for a moment, but that passed. "Regardless, this jar contains the skin pieces taken from Sokka's back. Nothing out ordinary for me." Haru shook his head.

"That's not what I meant and you know it! Why did you mutilate him!? Why did you slice him up?!" Xia frowned and looked at Haru.

"What do you mean, trinket?" Haru felt himself becoming sick, surrounded by all the severed body parts.

"His dick! Why the hell did you..." Haru stopped as the look of surprise on Xia's face scared him. Xia shook his head.

"I did not his manhood. Nor would I mutilate it. I have no need to do research on that part, for I have all I would have needed from my early patients." He turned and grabbed a jar showing Haru. The meat inside the jar was recognizable, but it was whole and clean, nothing like what had been done to Sokka. "And this was taken from one already dead." Haru stared up at Xia and shook his head. Xia's eyes went dangerously cold, as his face hardened. He led Haru out of the room and slammed the door shut. He turned and bolted the door. He turned and fastened Haru's chain to the large chair in the center of the room. He brushed some loose hair out of Haru's face and kissed the boy on the forehead. His eyes danced with anger as he turned around.

"I'll be back, trinket. I have some business to attend to."


	17. Chapter 17

**Okay. For those of you who don't like cussing, just replace the words in this chapter... Vitani is back after all. He really can't talk without at least saying one cuss word, or he'd blow up. I could always censor it...? If I need to.**

"GODDAMN FUCKING HELL PIECE OF SHIT!" Vitani hissed at the girl. She looked up at him with a glare and continued to peel back the charred skin off of his wrist. Kilani covered his face and shook his head. Katara sat back on her knees and looked over the man's arm.

"How did you manage to burn yourself from the inside out?" Vitani growled as his breath came out in hard puffs.

"Because your fucking psychotic ass boyfriends thinks its fun to shove fucking metal balls into mother fuckers arms. Any other damn questions?" Kilani looked over at Aang who was staring wide eyed at the fire bender. Kilani smiled weakly.

"He cusses more when he's in pain." He said looking back at his brother. There was a circular burn at the bend of his arm with a radius of about two and half inches. Another was at his wrist that started three inches above the palm and ran up to the bends of the fingers. Both burns were blackened with third and fourth degree burns. Katara shook her head and continued to peel back the black flakes of skin. She jerked a piece free and Vitani jumped.

"MOTHER FUCKER! You little BITCH!" Vitani growled. Kilani jumped over Katara and grabbed his brother before he had a chance to hit her. He swung around to his brothers back locking his legs around his brother's waist and his arms around his brother's shoulders.

"Quit! She's trying to help." Vitani growled at his brother and looked down at his wrist where the pool of bright crimson gathered in his palm. Katara took a deep breath and fought back her agitation. Toph tossed a blade of grass away from her and 'looked' up.

"Metal balls?" Vitani turned to look at the blind girl.

"Yes. He placed them in here for just that reason. If I try to use my bending, I will burn myself severely. Fuck!" He turned and glared at Katara. She looked up at smiled at him with the widest cheesiest fake smile she could muster.

"Then they should restrict your movement." Aang said. Vitani nodded.

"Yeah. That's why I lost my footing." Aang frowned.

"What do you mean? How many of those are inside of you?" Vitani hissed at the girl then turned to look at Aang.

"Seven. One at each elbow, one at each wrist. SHIT!" He jerked his head to frown at the girl. He snorted and turned back to look at the Avatar, his brother's grip still tight around him so that he couldn't retaliate.

"One in the bend of each knee, and the last one in the dip on my collar bones." Aang stared wide eyed.

"He made it so that you could throw, kick or even spit flames." Vitani nodded.

"The bastard does know what he's doing. DAMMIT! Which is more then I could say for this little shit!" He glared at Katara. She took a deep breath and shook her head.

"Okay this might hurt." She said as she picked up a knife. Vitani looked down at the blade and shook his head. He kicked her back and flipped over his brother. Kilani looked up at his brother from flat on his back with a smile.

"I didn't know you were afraid of knives." Vitani mock laughed and kicked Kilani in the thigh.

"I can wait until after we've gotten the others out." Katara shook her head.

"No. Your burns will get infected." Vitani looked at her with narrowed eyes. He looked down at his pink sticky wrist then up to his still blackened elbow. He clamped his teeth together and grabbed the char and with a quick jerked ripped the entire dead skin from his arm. He shivered and looked over at Katara.

"There. Now you can heal the skin." She stared up at him.

"Just the skin. I will have to reopen the wound to get the balls out."

"Fuck the balls. I can hold my own with out my fire." She rolled her eyes as he sat down on front of her holding his arm out. She encased her hands and looked over his arms.

"If you knew that it would burn you, then why did you roast that man when you could have let your brother do it?" Vitani's eyes met hers, echoed by his brother's who sat up behind him.

"Somethings are worth the pain." The two said in unison. Toph frowned and shook her head.

"Don't do that again. That was really creepy." Katara nodded in agreement.

"Yeah but you didn't have two pair of identical eyes, in identical faces stare at you while they said it." Kilani smiled and turned to look at Aang.

"When we go in, I want you behind me, Katara after you, then Toph and Vitani will watch our backs." Aang nodded. He looked up at the cloud spotted sky and frowned.

"What are we walking into exactly?" Vitani turned to look at the young Avatar.

"Lots of blood, lots of pain, and lots of torture." Kilani nodded.

"There are things within those walls that no one should ever have to witness. Come to think of it, if things haven't changed, your friend Haru got off the easiest." Vitani shook his head.

"Things have changed." Kilani frowned, and the other's followed suite.

"What does that mean?" Toph said. Vitani looked over at the blind girl as Katara moved up to the bend of his arm.

"The last time I saw Haru, Xia was carrying him like a baby doll. A very naked and bloody baby doll." Katara frowned.

"Does he...rape people?"

"He hadn't as far as I know. But the odds for Haru didn't look too good." Katara swallowed hard and looked up at Vitani.

"What did he do to my brother?" Vitani turned to look at his brother. Kilani sighed.

"Nothing good. He took the chunks out of his back like I had told you. He had dislocated his shoulder using a blade, then pierced the infection with a metal rod. He placed a large X brand on you brother's hip, just above..." Kilani looked at his brother. Vitani turned to look at Katara.

'What makes a man a man? Well he took a blade to it, sliced it up and left it bloody and hanging and more the less likely infected." Katara stared at him with wide eyes.

"I'll kill him." Vitani and Kilani shook their head in unison.

"No. We have to get every one out first. You're gonna be weak after healing everyone if you are up to it." She nodded and ran her hand over the smooth skin as it healed. Vitani pulled his arm away and rotated his wrist and bent it at the elbow. He smiled and stood up. The others stood up as well.

"Now which way are we going?" Katara pointed to the north.

"There's a large tomb over there, that he was very adamant about me staying away from. I believe that it is another entrance." Vitani shrugged and looked at his brother.

"What the hell? It's worth a shot." The walked up the mound of dirt and over to where the two statues stood facing each other. Katara walked over to the tomb and looked back at the guys. Kilani and Vitani walked up to the forefront looking over the details. They turned to look at Toph.

"Care to have a look?"Vitani smiled back at the blind girl. She walked up and stood, dwarfed mind you, between them. She put her hands on the large rock and took a smooth breath. She nodded.

"It opens up. I can't tell you wants behind it yet though." Kilani nodded.

"Good, then let's get it open." Toph smiled and dug her fingers into the rock. She moved her body to one side her arms following pulling the rock over. The group froze as a hissing sound began to emanate.

"Oh shit." Vitani and Kilani said together. Kilani jumped over the Avatar and gave him and the water bender a hard push. Vitani grabbed them and threw the three of them into the tomb, before the eyes of the two statues spouted fire covering the man. Kilani pushed the flames away from him and jumped forward into the tomb. He turned around and stared at the water tribe woman and the earth kingdom man that spat fire. He shook his head.

"Booby traps. This must be an entrance." They turned and looked into the darkness. Kilani brought his hand up in flames.

"Shall we?" Vitani said looking into the dark passageway. The got into the order that Kilani had instructed until they came to a large web in the path way. Kilani turned and looked at Aang.

"Can you clear that?" Aang nodded. He blew the web away and they continued down until they hit an open area with a large tomb in the center, with no other exits. Kilani looked at Vitani.

"Secret passage?" Vitani shrugged.

"One way to find out. " They pushed the lid off and looked down. Kilani looked over at Vitani and frowned. Vitani stared down and the bones and shook his head.

"We should have known it was too easy."


	18. Chapter 18

Kilani shook his head and turned around to look at Katara. He shook his head and smiled weakly.

"Don't you just hate dead ends?" Vitani grabbed his brother and swung him around. Kilani stared up at a large mound of rock. The two looked at each other and frowned. The walked over to the over hang and looked up at it. They vaulted off the wall up onto the small ledge and looked into the small opening. Vitani frowned and crawled forward. He picked up a small metal sphere. He backed out of the small crawl space and looked at Kilani, as he tossed him the ball.

"What do you make of that?" Kilani frowned as his fingers ran over the small grooves in the metal.

"A key perhaps." Vitani nodded and jumped down his brother right behind him. The two looked around the room until Kilani spotted a small ornament above the entrance. He walked over and looked up at the gold dragon. He frowned. That was very obviously a trap. He turned and tossed the metal ball back and forth between his hands. He turned and looked up at the ornament again then looked down at the tomb.

"Get back into the cave." He said fixing his eyes on the ornament. They moved back into the entrance way of cavern. He looked back to make sure the were back a bit from beneath the ornament. He turned and looked back at the tomb. He rared back and threw the hollow metal sphere against the tomb, it ricochetted back at a hard upward angle and landed in the dragons mouth. As soon as the ball had stopped spinning a rumble sounded through the air. Kilani moved over to the side out of the way. If his suspicion was correct he needed to be away from the front of the ornament. He jerked around as two large stones fell in the passageway blocking the exit. The dragon's mouth spouted a stream of fire that shot directly into the sarcophagus.. Kilani frowned. He had counted on the fire, just not the not being able to get out.

"KILANI! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"

"YEAH!" Kilani frowned as a hissing stream filled the air around him. He looked up to the ceiling where an orange gas was being pumped into the room. He covered his mouth and looked over to the door where, Toph busted through. Vitani grabbed her and jerked her back before she stepped into the wall of fire. Kilani ran over to the opening and stared at the fire for a moment. Moved behind the stream and looked at his brother. The fire from the ornament dissappeared. Kilani watched as the orange smoke disappeared. He turned to look at the other's with wide eyes.

"Okay that was more then I had planned on." Aang stared at the tomb in the center of the room in front of them.

"Did you plan on that?" He said pointing to the mass of bones raising from the sarcophagus. Kilani turned back and shook his head.

"That's illogical, and imposible." Katara turned to look at the fire bender, and shook her head at how he sounded like her brother. They stood there watching the mass jolt and shake. Kilani shook his head and looked at his brother.

"There's a dead man getting up." Vitani stared with wide eyes at the corpse.

"Yeah. No shit. I can see that." He turned to look at his brother and frowned as the mass of bones fell out of the stone. Aang sent a gust of air knocking the bones back into the tomb. Toph reached out and pulled the earth up to hold the bones down. Vitani and Kilani ran over and grabbed the stone lid pushing it back on, falling down sitting next to the stone. Vitani snarled at his brother over the dead man's bed.

"And why didn't we go in the front?" Kilani smiled weakly.

"Guys? That might not hold it." Katara said backing out of the cave. Toph nodded and followed Katara. Kilani and Vitani both got up and ran out with the others.

Toph threw the tomb door closed and they watched as the statues returned to normal. She shook her head.

"Foul! No one said anything about walking dead guys." Katara raised her hand as she tried to catch her breath.

"Actually, He had warned me about a curse on the tomb." Kilani nodded and looked over to Katara.

"At least we now know he didn't lie." Vitani shook his head and looked up at the dawning sky. Katara looked over at the twins and sighed.

"If both of his guards are dead, then why can't we just go in there." Kilani and Vitani both turned to look at her. They looked at each other then looked back to her.

"The guards aren't the ones we were worried about." Kilani said looking over to Vitani.

"No, Xia's the one. Those other guys were nothings compared to this fucking pyscho."

Sokka moaned as he opened his eyes. He looked up at Zuko and closed his eyes again.

"Am I dead?" Zuko shook his head.

"No."

"Damn. I was hoping I was." He tried to sit up but Zuko held his shoulders.

"Not a good idea." Sokka looked up at Zuko then yawned.

"I'm going back to sleep."

After arguing over it for a while, they stood out side the entrance that Kilani had escaped from. Teo and the Duke were high above the village on Appa, so that nothing would happen them while they were gone. Kilani frowned. This wasn't a good idea.

"Bad idea. Bad idea." Vitani punched his brother's arm.

"Yes we know. Now come on." Kilani and Vitani went in first, the other three tight in behind them. Kilani and Vitani turned around corners to two rooms. They came back out once they cleared that no one was in them. As they walked down the halls, Katara looked into the rooms. She covered her mouth as she past by rooms splattered with blood, rooms with chains hanging from the wall, and then one room in particular with a bed, chains attached to the posts and most of the bed drenched in blood. She closed her eyes then turned to look at the twins.

Vitani and Kilani stopped in front of the large metal door that led into the cage room. They turned to look back at the others.

"It's about to get ugly." Kilani whispered. They pushed the door open expecting to see Xia inside picking a victim. But there only people in the room were in cages. They entered and shut the door tight behind them. An uproar went over the men as the group entered. Zuko looked up and felt his heart beat bruises in his chest. Katara and Aang ran over to their cage and grabbed the bars.

"Zuko! God are you okay?" Zuko's chest rose and fell hard as he stared at them.

"Get us the fuck out of here and we will be okay!" Katara turned and watched as Kilani grabbed the keys going cage to cage in one direction unlocking them while Toph and Vitani went the other with her tearing off the locks. The men were still alive crawled out into open. Zuko crawled out and picked up Sokka. Katara's heart hurt as she turned and looked around at the at the men, torn, burned, cut, starved. She looked back to her brother and felt tears well in her eyes. Aang frowned and looked around the room.

"Where's Haru?" Zuko frowned.

"He took him. I haven't seen him since." Kilani turned and looked at his brother.

"We have to find the last one. Take the survivors and get out of here. I'll take the avatar and find Haru. Get them safe and come back, we may need your help." The two nodded at each other. Aang followed close behind Kilani as he lead him out of the room. They would take them back out the main entrance. Where ever Xia was he was distracted. The went room to room, searched the fifty rooms and there wasn't any sign of Xia or Haru. Thirty minutes had passed, when Vitani found them. Kilani shook his head.

"I don't know."

"We can't leave him." Aang said shaking his head wildly. Kilani looked at the small avatar and shook his head again.

"He isn't here. I don't know what has happened unless we're too late." Aang shook his head.

"No. We have to get Haru."

"He's not here. Xia's not here. They're not fucking here!" Vitani growled as he felt the uneasiness of the place crawl over him. He looked around and frowned. "Besides. Xia won't kill him. I don't see him as coming off a necrophiliac."

"A naked what?" Kilani shot his brother an evil glare.

"Someone who fornicates with dead bodies." Aang's nose curled up. But Kilani patted him on the shoulder.

"We'll come back for him. We need to go check on the others, get out of here and make a plan." Vitani nodded.

"For once I agree."

Xia narrowed his eyes as he watched the girl. He crossed his arms over his chest and tried to rein in his anger.

"Yina. Come here." The dark haired girl looked up at him. She smiled and tossed the rag onto the bar.

"Yes, boss?" She purred looking up at him lovingly. His eyes read danger as he grabbed her arm. He pulled her into the other room and threw her to the floor.

"What have you been doing Yina?" She looked at him playfully.

"What do you want me to do boss?" She said crawling over to him. She wrapped her arms around his leg and looked up at him. His hand shot down and grabbed a handful of her black hair jerking her to her feet.

"Keep your dirty hands off of my men." She smiled at him and leaned in against him.

"I don't know what you mean." He threw her to the floor.

"You take knife to another one of my patients and you will die. Is that clear?"

"I have to take a knife to them. It makes sure your interest in me doesn't subside."She said standing up, only to be knocked back to the floor by a hard backhand.

"You are not worthy of my time, nor of my desires."

"You won't get rid of me." He knelt down next to her and looked her in the eye.

"I can think of a handful of women in this village alone that would kill to have your job. I have killed countless men without a second thought about it. You are completely disposable." She looked up at him.

"I can't help that I'm jealous. And I can't say I won't do it again." Xia smiled at her coolly.

"I can." He grabbed her wrist and held it against the floor a long kitchen knife appearing in his hand. She looked up at him with wide eyes. "You won't touch them again. Nor will you bother my jars" He said setting the blade down on her little finger.

"No...please" He looked at her with a smile.

"You know please doesn't work on me." He said smoothly as he slammed the blade down.


	19. Chapter 19

Katara looked over the men as she finished healing the last one. She looked up at the sun already set low on the horizon. She fell back on the ground and shook her head. She was still worried about Haru, the twins and Aang said they had looked all over the compound but was unable to find any sign of him. She sat up and looked over at Her brother. He and Zuko sat over near a small pound. They were quiet, understandable so. She had thrown up twice while she was trying to heal her brother. She turned to look at the two twins that paced back and forth. Aang trying to catch up with the two trying to help them figure, only to get by passed by the two much taller fire benders.

"I don't get it, Vi!" Kilani growled. Vitani shook his head as they passed each other.

"Neither do I. It makes absolutely no sense, Ki. We looked in every room!"

"We checked for any secret passages!"

"Where could he have gone?!" The two growled in unison. Most of the other men had left, hauling ass as far away from the memories as possible, all of them promising to pay them back. A few stragglers remained, acting like they didn't quite know what to do. Toph walked over to the twins and stomped her foot sending up a wall between them .

"Okay, quit you're making the Earth nervous. Should you let Katara get those balls out now?" Vitani shook his head. He pulled the sleeves of his black shirt down lower on his wrists. They had found the store room where their uniforms, and weapons had been stashed.

"Now that I have my blades back I don't feel so naked." Toph shook her head and walked over to where Sokka and Zuko sat. She sat down next them and shook her head.

"So. How are ya'll?"Zuko shot her a dirty looking knowing that she couldn't see it. Sokka shook his head and set his head down on his knees.

"Not now, Toph. Go away please." Toph shook her head. She thanked the spirits that she was unable to see the condition that her friends had been in. Sokka shook his head as Toph walked off. He hugged his legs against him and turned his head to look at Zuko. The two men stared at each other for a moment before Zuko moved over to sit next to Sokka.

"Worried?"

"Yeah." Zuko nodded me too. The two men sat in silence as they became lost in their own thoughts. Each one trying to force back the memories of their time int eh cages and at the hands of the mad man. Zuko cringed as he could feel the blood dripping from his arm, and the nauseating reminder of being partially blinded. He shook the tears from his eyes, and heard Sokka let out an amused grunt. He frowned and looked over at the boy. Sokka didn't try to hide his tears.

"I didn't think we'd all make it out alive...most of us did...but Haru...?" HE turned to look at Zuko. The two boys stared at each other. Zuko reached over and grabbed Sokka, pulling him into a hug. Sokka clung to Zuko as if he were the last thing in the world. And they cried, though it may have been in silence, their tears fell in unison out of thankfulness for their salvation from the pit, and for their comrade who was still at the devil's mercy.

Katara watched in silence, as Aang stood behind her. She shook her head and turned to look at Aang.

"I never thought I would see the day." Aang's eyes were somber. The two twins, dressed completely in their black uniforms appeared behind the two.

"Tragedy brings out the best in people with the worsts of circumstances. A brotherly bond will form between two who have shared an equally tragic experience and be thankful for the other to cling to. The natural order." Kilani said. Vitani nodded.

"Pity that it takes an event like this to bring them together, but that is the way the world works at times." Katara turned around and looked up at the two. Their eyes were somber and focused on the two men that distance away from them. They looked down at Aang and Katara, like a mirror they brought their hands up and pulled their crying demon masks down over their faces.

"Let's go." Katara frowned.

"What?"

"We're going back to get the last one." Aang frowned.

"While I agree, how are we going to find them?" They couldn't see it but identical smiles hid behind the terrifying masks.

"Like we should have to begin with." The two voices rumbled through the masks together. Katara shivered and frowned at them. Toph ran her hands over her arms.

"Seriously, quit doing that." She said.

Xia stroked Haru's cheek admiringly, wiping the small tear from his face. He kissed Haru on the forehead and stood up.

"Precautions need to be taken my love, or else I wouldn't have done this." Haru stared up at Xia through teared eyes. His lips were sewn together with a thick black string, small dots of blood where the needle had entered the skin. Yina snarled her nose as she stood over in the corner, her broth tanned leather corset glowing dimly in the torch light. She walked over to look down at Haru, the same string that had been used on his mouth, laced up her thighs holding her pants together. She bent down and snarled at Haru.

"You think you've won him just like that, pretty boy?" Xia's eye flared. He grabbed the girl around the neck and flung her across the room.

"Come near him again and I will personally hand you over to, Hugith and Priogi." Yina pushed her self up off of the floor and looked up at the two replacement bodyguards. Not near as big as Angus, or her brother, but enormous men none the less, and both with wrap sheets longer then both of her arms put together.

Xia turned and looked over his minions.

"The two Black Shade led them in hear and released all of my patients. We will have to restock, and that will take time. But for now, prepare yourselves, I have a suspicion that they won't want to leave Trinket behind." He dismissed the three and turned back to Haru. Haru stared up at him, the tight black leather pants making the man's already long legs look endless. His black fur coat stood out against the placidity of his naked abdomen. He knelt down next to Haru and pushed strand of loose hair back out of the boy's face.

"It's gonna come down you, my pet. You do realize if I die, then you don't stand a chance. And if I am killed, one of my friends on the outside has been instructed to release all my little creatures into the wild." He turned and looked over his shoulder at the three large glass doors, in which behind each one was a swarm of either scorpion-ants, giant lion spiders, and juhitas. He stood up and walked over to the glass door tapping on it gently. An adult juhita scurried towards the glass. The parasite being the size of a large cabbit. Xia turned and looked at Haru with a small grin.

"Beautiful isn't she. This certain juhita was the one that laid the eggs that are inside you. They have been altered to be several hundred times their normal size. She happens to be the runt of the colony." Haru stared with wide eyes at the creature, this large insect that was something out of nightmares. Xia walked over to Haru and helped him to stand up. He ran his hand's over the boy's smooth abs, stopping for a moment to adjust the rings he hand placed in the boy's nipple. He looked down at Haru.

"See, trinket, not only does your own life depend on your choice, so does the fate of your friends and this continent. Imagine how quickly these creatures would infect their wild counterparts, and how vast the epidemic would spread. I had counted on something like this happening, one day. So believe that every precaution has been taken."


	20. Chapter 20

**Hmmm. Ya'll better hope that I never loose my mind. I would be one sick puppy. Oh hehe twisty! Man...Okay so I uploaded this once. But an entire paragraph was left out...Dammit. Okay try again.**

The two demons lead the way into the twisted corridors. Toph behind them, Katara in the middle and Aang brining up the rear. Sokka and Zuko guarded the entrance, determined to kill any foe that emerged. Whether or not mercy was in their cards, depended on who tried to escape. Zuko's heart had a darkened blemish that in ironic state, created a soft spot for his comrades that had to endure the same tortures. He looked over at Sokka, noting the darkness over the boy's eyes and the gleaming, searing hate that spilled off of him. Sokka's turned his eyes at Zuko, and a small smile crossed his face. He grabbed the man's hand and patted it.

"Soon, Very soon." Zuko cut a grin at Sokka and turned his eyes back to the temple door. To sarcastic it was that the man who practice his unspeakable deeds used a temple of worship as the camouflage. This was the reason he hadn't been caught. To proclaim war upon a house dedicated to prayer, would be to severely piss off the spirits, and anyone within their right mind knew that wasn't the thing to do. He lit up his hand with a flame, and extinguished it watching it settle back into his skin.

Sokka's eyes were cast on the ground. He refused to close them. Too many vivid memories would pass in front of his lids. A cruel smile shined down at him as the blade cut into his tender flesh. The stench of the opium and dew from the morphana flower still thick in his veins, had kept him from fighting, from shrieking out in pain, even from bashing his own head against the table so that he could end it all. In those golden eyes set such an amount of hatred that he could never possess, nor that he knew could exists in another person's body. For such a tiny person she was able to an amazing amount of damage. Regardless of the fact that his sister had healed him back to normal, a pain still ached deep inside of him. The feel of the blade pressing so hard into the flesh that it brought blood, rose to the skin. That sickening urge to purge his body of all the contents of his stomach as the nerves were severed. He gagged and shook his head.

Zuko watched the boy warily. He had been through a lot, and for the rest of them to just now find out that it wasn't the bastard himself that had mutilated his manhood, but instead a overly obsessed fan girl that saw the patients as competition for the affection of the monster. Zuko frowned and shook his head, taking into account that Xia had taken Haru as a lover, there was no end as to what the girl would do or had already done.

Yina looked over Haru as he slept. The direct shot of opium into the jugular had knocked him out fast. She smiled. She preferred to smoke the delectable incense, but in a crushed powder mixed with a little dew it made an excellent narcotic. She ran her hand over his forehead as she looked over him.

"I told you, you couldn't have him that easy." She said dragging the small blade down the boy's chest. She dropped the blade next to him. His wrists still chained to the chair, he slumped forward in his unconsciousness. She pushed him back against the chair, and grabbed the tie around his pants. She froze, her eyes widening with fear, as the realization rained down on her that someone was standing right behind her. She jumped up and turned around staring up at Xia. His eyes were dark and his features demonic.

"You have had far to many warnings, Ilizayina." She fell to her knees and reached up to him, showing him her nine fingers.

"Please, boss. Please. I meant nothing by it. I only wanted to keep your interest in me." He frowned at her and pulled her to her feet. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him.

"My interest? I see." He bent over and kissed her lightly. She melted into his arms as she parted her lips for him. She closed her eyes as his tongue pushed through her lips. She frowned as she felt something pushed into her mouth, before she could respond he pulled back from her and clocked her jaw upwards her teeth slamming together. She felt the small glass ball shatter in her mouth spilling the fire down her throat. Her eyes grew wider as she jerked back from him. Xia brought his hand up and gently wiped his mouth with the back of his knuckles. She stared at him as blood began to stream from her eyes. She fell to her knees her jaw hanging open as she continued to look at him.

"But I love you..." She said as blood spilled from her mouth. He looked down at her blankly.

"Then you should have listened better." Her shoulders started to jerk slightly. Blisters began to form on her mouth, as the liquid fire settled into her stomach and coated her lungs. Blood bubbled from her nose as she breathed in shallow jagged breaths. He cross his arms lazily over his stomach, his hand setting on a knife at his hip, under his coat.

"The pain can stop, Yina. If you want it to?" He said pulling the blade from it's sheath. He placed the tip of the blade under her chin as she looked up at him, her eyes dilated and wide. She nodded as she felt the ulcers begin to form in her throat, closing off her air way. His eyes glittered as he pulled the knife away from her and placed it back in the sheathe.

"Sorry. I forgot for a moment that my compassion does run deep enough for those who disobey direct orders." Her body jolted. He stepped around her, but she reached out for him catching his coat hem lightly, but her fingers couldn't hold it. He bent down and examined Haru for any sign of injury. He unlatched the chains and picked the boy up, cradling him in his arms. He walked back past Yina. She fell forward her arms stretched out to him.

"Master..." He turned to look at her.

"You took advantage of my trust. You stole from me to feed you cannibalism. You mutilated those that didn't have my attention, then turned you blade to the one that did. You disgraced my inn by bedding your own brother, and humiliated your self by declaring yourself my concubine. If you don't think this is viable punishment, then you can take it up with the spirits." He narrowed his eyes and turned his back on her. She stared after him as her body lurched, her world eventually going black, after her internal organs melted inside of her.

Xia set Haru down on the large bed, and pushed his hair out of his face. He looked over the boy and frowned at the dried blood around the boy's mouth. He grabbed his bottle of cleansing solution and a small rag from his small bedside table. He gently cleaned the insertion points and wiped the dried blood from the boy. He set down the rag and bottle down and ran his hand along the boy's arm. He stopped over one of the areas where he had inserted the egg sac. He frowned as he ran his fingers back over the risen. He pressed his finger down on the risen and waited for a moment. A movement under the skin and he pulled his hand back staring at the risen.

"Shit." He growled. He jumped up from his kneeling position and ran to the other side of the room shedding his coat. He threw open a drawer and grabbed a jar, a tie tube, and two needles. As he walked back over to the boy, he filled one of the needle's syringes with the contents from the jar. He held the needle in his mouth as he moved Haru so that his arm was easily accessible. He placed his hand on the risen and waited until what was under the skin moved. He quickly jabbed the needle down into the parasite, and pushed the fluid into it. He pulled out the needle and quickly wrapped the tie tube around his own arm. He pulled his blade from the sheathe and slit his arm about three inches. He clenched and unclenched his hand bringing the crimson from his veins. He watched as the parasite jolted under the boy's skin. He quickly unscrewed the cap of the jar and moved his arm over next to Haru's as the blood began to roll down his arm. The parasite split the skin, exploding forth into the open air. The creature's tendril antennas searched as the smell of blood caught it's attention. The parasite's long root like tail's hundreds of tiny feelers moving it toward that delectable fluid. Xia grabbed the insect and threw it into the jar. He quickly shut the cap, and watched as the acid dissolved the twitching form.

Haru groaned and almost involuntarily grabbed his arm. Xia caught the boy's hand and moved it over placing it on his stomach. He looked down at the boy's arm where the bug had escaped. He untied the tie tube on his own arm then turned back to Haru. He quickly grabbed his blade and sliced the jagged area's of skin creating a clean wound. He frowned and looked down at his arm. He flung the blood from it and ripped a piece of fabric from the sheets wrapping it around his arm haphazardly. He turned back to Haru and picked up the unused needle. He stuck the needle into the exposed egg sac. He quickly brought the press back, the needle sucking the small eggs into the syringe. He turned and emptied it into the jar of acid. He turned and moved his hand up to the other egg sacs. He repeated the process, several more times, the last time dropping the needle itself into the acid. It dissolved as he turned with his knife in his hand.

He quickly went up Haru's arm, slicing open small areas.He set the knife on the bed as he pulled the remainder of the egg sacs out, droppin gthem in the jar. He closed the jar and pulled some water to him from the basin across the room. He ran his hands over the young man's arm as it healed. He smiled as the skin reknit as if it hadn't been touched. He frowned again, as he noticed the beads of sweat forming on Haru's forehead. He leaned over the boy touching his forehead gently. He cussed and pulled the boy into a sitting position. He slid in behind the boy leaning him against his chest.

He pulled more water from the basin and encased his hands. He ran his hands over the boy's forehead and neck, letting the cool water soak into him. Xia shook his head as the boy's body jerked. The boy's arm jumped, drawing Xia's attention. His face went blank as he cupped his hand over the boy's neck, just above the jugular. He closed his eyes and counted the beats. He pulled his hand away and moved from behind the boy. He set Haru's head back down on the bed gently. He opened the small drawer next to the bed and pulled out a vile. He walked over to the large cabinet and pulled out a jar of powder. He poured the powder into his vile, taking a small container of liquid from the cabinet as well and combining it. The powder dissolved, turning the clear liquid into a milky white. He walked over to Haru and picked up the small blade from the bed. He took the blade in one hand, the vile in the other, and quickly cut the stitches across Haru's mouth. He set the blade down and used his free hand to pick up the boy's head. He poured the concoction into the boy's mouth. He set the vile down and sat down next to the boy, quietly pulling out the remainders of string.

Haru's body lurched, as the boy began to cough. He rolled over onto his side fighting to breath. Xia rubbed the boy's back as he started to gag. Haru foudn the edge of the bed as his stomach lurched and spilled the contents of his stomach. Xia pushed Haru's hair out of his face and held it until he was done. Haru shuddered as his senses came back to him. He jerked over onto his back and stared at Xia.

"Welcome back, Trinket. I thought I was going to loose you." He said pulling a rag from the drawer next to the bed. He leaned over the boy and wiped his mouth free of the siliva and the blood that had been forced from the holes where his sutures used to be. Haru opened his mouth to spill out a string of curses, but stopped and brought his hand up to his mouth.

"My..." Xia smiled and stood up.

"Yes. No more stitches." Haru sat up in the bed, only then did he notice that his hands were free. Xia watched him. "No more chains." Haru frowned and looked up at the man warily, then saw that blood stained rag around the man's arm.

"You fed your fucking blood?!" Xia was taken aback for a moment, then looked down at his arm. He shook his head and looked back to Haru as he picked up his coat. He slipped it over his shoulders.

"No. Trinket. Luckily enough you didn't need. But you were close to death." Xia said sitting down on the bed next to Haru. The boy pulled his legs up and hugged them to his chest. " It appears that my inn keep drugged you with opium. You had a bad reaction to it. What I fed you was nothing but a medicinal serum." Haru frowned.

"Then why the hell is your arm cut?" Xia frowned.

"I guess I will have to tell you. The reaction caused a excess flow of chakra as your body tried to heal it's self. An honestly natural reaction." Haru's eyes widened as he looked down at his stomach.

"Then the..." Xia shook his head as a wash of sadness fell over his eyes. He looked at Haru.

"The eggs did begin to hatch. I had to remove the larva before it borrowed into muscles. They are attracted to the scent of fresh blood. So I just lured it out." Haru let his legs fall as he stared at Xia.

"So no bugs?" Xia nodded and stood up.

"No chains, no stitches, no bugs. It's probably better this way." He turned to the door. He stopped and turned around to look at Haru. "Ah yes. One last thing before I leave." He walked back over to the bed where a very confused Haru sat motionless. He leaned over and kissed Haru gently. He stood up looking down at Haru with a smile. He turned and walked over the the door. He stopped and looked back at Haru.

"You can get out through the left corridor, but mind the traps." Haru frowned.

"You letting me go? Why?" Xia smiled and shrugged.

"A rather nasty fight is due. You don't have the energy to fight, and I wouldn't want my new bodyguards to hurt you. If I make it out alive. I see if I can find you."

"Why?" Haru couldn't wrap his mind around the entire situation. First he's implanted with bugs, then has his mouth sewn shut, then there was the thousands of needles. Xia stepped out the door and turned the corner.

"When I said that I loved you, I wasn't lying." He said with a flick of his wrist and he was gone. Haru stared at the door. He was loosing his mind. He shook his head and looked at his legs. He was free, or was it a trap? He touched his mouth gently. The man had caused him so much pain, but in the end was setting him free. Just like that? He looked at the door.

""Okay enough of that! Time to go." He jumped out off the bed and ran to the door.


	21. Chapter 21

Okay since this is all kinds of messed up. I'll submit this so that I can get my reviews for chapter twenty. Man, idk what they did, but half of my last chapter was missin, then I exported it, fixed it then uploaded it again and it was still messed up! It actually wasn't my fault this time. :)


	22. Chapter 22

**Okay sports fans. I know I really messed with ppl last chapter. I'll try to clear it up, because part of the last update was left out I tried to fix it. But it didn't work. So I deleted the joke chapter and just moved the chapters back. Hope this one turns out better.**

Vitani scanned the large cage room. There wasn't any way the could have just disappeared. He frowned and looked to his brother.

"Unless they have left the village?" Kilani said to his brother. He pushed his mask up and shook his head. "But that's not a probable conclusion. Xia had devoted so much time to his little cadaver garden, the intricacies of this prison alone stands on how much was put into his hobby." Vitani turned to look at his brother. He pushed his mask up and narrowed his eyes.

"Intricacies?" Kilani nodded as his eyes focused on the cages.

"Yes. The detail of having found enough moonstone to create four fully barred cages, just to hold the fire benders, and then the fact that this chamber is so far underground. I can't imagine that the depth of his mansion ends here." 

"Uh...guys?" They turned dropping their masks back over their faces. Aang stood with wide eyes.

"We found something you need to see." He led them down to the room that held the blood covered bed. Katara looked at them with wide eyes. Toph's hand was on the wall.

"There's a chamber here. It goes deeper." Kilani smiled under his mask.

"I knew it!" The two watched as Toph pushed the door open. They walked in a group into the passage. It was about a mile in length before it opened up into a series of catacombs. Katara touched the wall as she looked around a corner. She frowned and looked at her hand. She jerked her hand back from the skull that was in the wall. Aang looked down the walls of the branching paths. The one to the left was lined with skulls, the one to the right lined with spines, but the one in front of them was shrouded in darkness. Vitani stepped forward out into the junction. He turned to look back at them. He brought a blade up and pointed it at Aang.

"Take the left path." He turned his blade to Katara. "You and Toph take the right." He turned and looked into the darkness. He disappeared into the shadows. Aang turned to look at Kilani, or at least he thought it was Kilani. Considering both of them wore the exact same mask.

"Where are you going?" Kilani looked up above their heads. A hole with small indentions on it was right above them. He vaulted off of the wall and climbed up into the hole.

"Great. Their gone." He said looking down at the skulls. Toph smiled and hit him in the shoulder.

"What's wrong Twinkle Toes? Scared?" Aang frowned and started down his path. Katara and Toph started down their own. Aang took deep breaths as he tried to find a peaceful place in his mind in which he could actually think. He came to a four way junction and stopped. He frowned and looked down all of the paths. He decided it might be better to just go straight. A chill ran up his back bringing a shiver to him. He stopped when he heard something. It was faint, rather distant. It pulsed in his ears for a moment before he turned around. He froze and stared up at the pile of bones that had been locked in the tomb. Dried eyes stared down at the small avatar. The bones cracked as they moved, the ancient bones slipping in and out of the joints. 

"Oh fiddle sticks..." He said as the mound of bone's jaw opened.

"You look tasty..." Aang felt like he was going to piss himself. It talks. It walks. It's dead it shouldn't do these things. He knocked the creature back with a burst of air and ran the other way. He turned sharply down a corridor his feet slipping as he turned. He scrambled to continue running as his mind made him starting thinking out loud.

"Ok..OK...how to kill a dead thing? Can you kill a dead thing?" He came to a sliding stop as a slab of earth shot up in front of him. He turned around and saw the lumbering six foot bones lumbering towards him. " WONDERFUL!" He said and turned throwing a piece of the slab out of the way. He ran throught he hole and turned running backwards and sealed the hole up. His legs pushed him forward.

"OK...earth bending, talking, walking, dead guy is after me...shit shit shit!" 

Toph stopped. Katara turned to look at her. She frowned as the girl seemed to be listening. She walke dover to Toph and listened, but didn't hear anything.

"What is it?" Toph frowned.

"Bugs..?" Katara frowned but Toph jumped back grabbing Katara and pulling her back as well. Just as they moved the dirt shifted under their feet and a large creature moved out of the soft earth. The red creatures stood up on six large legs, several antenna tasting the air, a long whip like tail thrash back and forth with thousands of feelers on the end of it. Large claws drug the ground as the several prism eyes looked at them. The creature swayed back and forth as if it was planning an attach. It sat back and lifted it's squid-like mouth to the air. A loud bellowing screech reverberated from the insects thorax. Katara covered her ears and looked at Toph. The blind girl covered her ears and jumped up stomping her feet hard on the ground. Slabs of stone shot out from either side of the wall and crushed the parasite between it with a loud crunch. Toph shook her head and dropped her hands.

"I hate bugs." Katara nodded and started to say something when Toph gave her a hard shove. "Run!" Katara did as she was told, looking back behind her seeing a swarm of smaller parasites flooding toward them. On the ceiling, walls and the floor, like a fog. She pulled as stream of water from her pouch and flung it back towards them. A hundred screeches rung out for a moment but the insects continued their chase. 

Kilani pulled himself up at the top of the ladder. He looked around the dark arena with a frown. It was a large open room, doors to the north and the south. He staid low to the ground as he crept into the room. A sword appeared in one of his hands as he noticed a darker spot just on the other side of the room. It was large, and it was human. He lowered himself even lower to the ground. His ears perked as something moved behind him. He was hit hard on the back of the head before he could turn around. He rolled forward and sent a flame from where he was hit, only to have it thrown right back at him followed by another. He frowned. He couldn't see his adversary. He sunk down low to the ground and listened. He was completely still. Feet shuffled right passed him. He watched the large legs pass by him. He jerked his hand out and grabbed the man's ankle, making him fall to the ground. Something hit his face hard sending his mask across the room. He rolled back and sent a flames across the room. Lamps caught the flames and illuminated the room. He frowned as blood rolled down his face. He looked at the man that was pushing himself up. He was a behemoth of a man, three times as wide as Kilani was. Kilani narrowed his eyes and waited for the man to turn around. Ne noted the the weapon the man held, was like nothing he had ever seen. It was tri-bladed, and looked like a giant fork. That was what had enough force to knock his mask of and cut his face. He watched the man diligently and readied himself for an attack. He narrowed his eyes as he looked over the man's face. His eyes had been sown shut. Kilani froze as the man turned his head and listened. He held back a growl as it dawned on him that when he unsheathed his sword is when he gave away his position. The man's large mouth twisted into a grin.

"I can hear the flames, so I know that you have lit the lamps. You can probably see that I am blind." The large man said turning around listening for movement. Kilani stepped silently closer as he spoke, but froze once the man stopped. "But in my being blind, my other senses are heightened. I will have to thank Yina for this ...gift, after I kill you." Kilani froze. The man laughed. "You're frozen with fear, I like that..." Kilani stopped just short of touching the man. "Come one sweetheart. Give a little noise. No one likes a quiet fuck. A little heavy breathing, some chattering teeth, knocking knees...a fast heart beat. Let me know where you are." Kilani rolled his eyes and drove his blade at an upward angle straight under the man's rib cage on drove it on home.

"Maybe if you would shut up for a moment, you might know where I was." He pulled his blade out and flung it downward sending the blood from it. He frowned and touched his face. He turned and looked at the fallen man with a glare. He walked over and picked up his mask and turned it over. Deep scratches were etched across the face of the demon. He slipped his mask back over his face and walked over to the fallen man. He pulled the weapon from his hand and tied it to his belt. HE stood up and gave the body a swift kick to the chest.

"Bastard, cut my face. Won't do it again, will you?" He frowned and walked out one of the doors. He shook his head. _Good god! I'm turning into my brother._

Vitani stared at the large man in front of him, his arms crossed over his chest. He shook his head as the large man stared back at him.

"Is Xia the president of Rent-a-Minion? Or what? Where the hell does he get you guys! You are all the size of a house, with the brains the size of seeds." The large bald man glared at the young fire bender. Vitani walked around the large man and looked him over.

"What's wrong, Giganto? Cat got your tongue?" At that the large man opened his mouth and stuck out a nub that used to be his tongue. Vitani snarled his nose and shook his head.

"Whew. I get it. Can't talk, can't talk back." He smiled into his mask. The large man lunged at him. He was the only body guard that Xia had that wasn't a bender. Vitani dodge the large man again. 

"One bad thing about being big: You're so damned slow!" Vitani smiled and dodged the man again. He jumped against the wall and landed on the man's shoulders. He wrapped his legs around the man's neck and threw himself backwards, flinging the man into the ground. Vitani rolled back and straddled the man around the waist. He bent down and with a jerk snapped the man's neck. He sat on the man for a second and shook his head. He stood up and looked over the man. This guard was disposable. No bending abilities, no weapon. He frowned. The man was mentally slow. He was a distraction. 

"SHIT! He was a fucking distraction!" Vitani growled and started running down the corridor. 

Sokka and Zuko stood straight backed against the side of the wall on either side of the door. The sound of feet approaching had alerted them. The door swung open. Sokka rolled around the door frame and grabbed the man throwing him to the ground his bladed boomerang at the man's neck. Zuko grabbed Sokka and pulled him off of Haru. The two looked at each other for a minute then looked down to Haru. Haru scrambled to his feet and fell into the other guys, tears streaking down his face as he began to shake.

"I'm out..." He shook and fell to the ground, the other two men holding going to their knees as well. They held Haru tight as he shook and cried, both of them fighting back their own tears.

**Big confrontation is next. But first the others need to get out of the messes they are in. And wait till ya'll see the welcome that Xia left for them! R & R! IF there is anything specific you would like to see in this story or any of my others, be sure to let me know. I have a certain path I'm on, but I love any input from my readers that I can get. I wouldn't write if ya'll wasn't reading! So thanks! **


	23. Chapter 23

"Aw look sisters. Isn't that cute?" Zuko and Sokka jumped and stared at three tall women. They were all identical. Brown hair braided down their backs, and cool blue eyes staring out from a milky complexion. Their legs longer then the boy's were tall, and muscular enough all it would take was one hard kick to knock someone out. Haru stared up at the tree women.

"Hmm. He's grown soft. I didn't think he would ever let him go." The one on the right said bending over to look at Haru. The one in the middle.

"Well, they are sitting here holding each other. Perhaps he got jealous." The women on the left nodded.

"Good possibility. But I would think little brother would have just killed them." The three looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Little brother?" Haru said before he could clamp his mouth shut. Sokka narrowed his eyes and gripped his boomerang tight in his hand. The three women smiled, and he could see the resemblance.

"Why, yes. Dexia is our baby brother."

"He called us when, some naughty boys got loose." 

"Big brother's on his way." Sokka glanced at Zuko, who had fist lit and ready. The three women stepped forward together and smiled. The two on the outside stopped, as the one in the center moved forward to touch Haru's face lightly.

"So pretty..." She said as a whip appeared in her hand. She grabbed Haru around the neck and threw her arm to the side catching Zuko across the face, splitting his cheek open before he could react. Sokka brought his blade up and started to hit the woman, when another whip wrapped around his hand jerking his arm back.

"Now now, boys."

"Be gentle."

"We're delicate." Zuko watched as the last woman walked up to him. He shook his head and shot a flame at her. She side-flipped out of the way and smiled as she landed. Haru froze as the woman walked around his brushing her chest against his back, raking her finger nails along his bare skin. He waited until she was directly behind him, then threw his head back hard into her nose. She screamed out, and it wasn't but a second before a whip was around his neck and one around his ankles. The two sisters jerked bringing Haru to the ground. Sokka slammed his blade against the back of one of the sister's knees, while Zuko landed a hard kick to the back of the other sister's back. The one Haru had hit stepped over him and turned around swinging her whip over her head and lashing it out, snapping both Sokka and Zuko.

"Ryn, Rya, stop. There's obviously some fight in these boys. Seems we're gonna have some fun after all." The other two women walked over to stand next to their sister. They smiled and nodded.

"We're ready, Rei." 

Katara ran into the wall as she tried to slow her self down. She pushed away from the wall and continued running. Toph turned and threw up a wall of stone, but it didn't take the creatures long to burrow through it. It did by them time though. The two girls stumbled into a large, round dead end. Katara stopped and turned to look at Toph.

"Now what!" Toph shrugged and sealed off the only exit.

"Here's an Idea. You start flinging water at them, and I'll run." Toph frowned and started walking backwards. Katara stared as the creatures began to break through the walls. She backed up against the wall next to Toph. 

"Well...any ideas?"

"That's usually Sokka's thing." Toph growled shaking her head. The insects poured in the room and came in a large wave towards them. Katara's mind went frantic trying to think of something. Toph threw her hands out sending a block to the ceiling squashing part of the insects, but more just poured in around the block. 

A black streak fell in front of them and a giant flame engulfed the the creatures shrieking and screaming. The flame died back and the remainder of the parasites scattered the floor as ashes. A demon mask turned to look at them, with claw marks across it's face.

"You girls okay?" Toph frowned as Kilani looked at them. She stomped her foot and a rock flew over her shoulder and nailed him right in the forehead. He took a few steps back and stared at the Earth bender.

"What was that for?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

"We are not damsels in distress. Well, I'm not at least. We didn't need your help." Kilani nodded.

"Hm. Okay then. Considering I just fell down a hole that I didn't see, into a flood of insects, I didn't know was coming, I did the first thing that came to instinct. Now add all that together. Didn't see the hole, didn't see the bugs, how could I have seen the two of you?" Toph frowned. Katara walked over staring at Kilani's mask. She leaned up very close to him, causing him to lean backwards.

"Hi. Yeah personal space...?" Katara reached up and touched his mask. He took a step back and took his mask off handing it to her. She looked at it for a moment and shook her head.

"What did this?" She said running her fingers over the steel. She looked up at him and dropped the mask as she gasp. "What happened to your face!" He shook his head with a laugh.

"The same man that tore up my mask." She stared at him. He grabbed his mask back and slipped it over his face. 

"Come on."

Vitani skidded to a stop as he ran right into Aang. Aang scrambled over the fallen man and kept running. Vitani frowned and looked at the retreating avatar.

"What's he running from?" He sat up and stared up at the walking dead. He made a small o with his mouth and scrambled to his feet. It wasn't long before he passed Aang. The stopped at the small dead end. Vitani cussed and turned around pushing the avatar in front of him towards the dead thing.

"There, go get him." Aang frowned and pushed back.

"Aren't you supposed to be some sort of top notch assassin?" Vitani nodded.

"Yea, I make them dead. I don't deal with them after their dead. That's your department!" Aang frowned.

"My department?" Vitani gave Aang a hard shove toward the dead man.

"Yes! You're the avatar! Go spirit his ass or something! Go glowy all over him!" Aang backed up against Vitani shaking his head.

"It doesn't work that way!" The froze when the creature stopped. It paused for a moment, then collapsed in a pile of bones and dust. The two frowned. Vitani pushed Aang again.

"Go see if it's dead...uh deader.." Aang turned around and glared at Vitani. He grabbed him by the arm and flung him forwards.

"No. You. You're the big brave assassin." Vitani shook his head.

"Only brave towards the living. Dead guys creep me out. You go." The stopped and turned to look at pile of bones. Aang grabbed Vitani's hands as they started walking forward. Vitani slapped his hands back, only to grab them again as the bones settled. The two walked up to the bones warily, which had collapsed right at a junction. The leaned over the bones looked down at it. Suddenly a man jumped out from behind the wall.

"BOO!" Aang and Vitani both let out a yelp. Kilani laughed as he pushed up his mask.

"Gosh, that was funny." Aang frowned and looked down at the bones.

"Were you controlling him?" Kilani looked at the bones and shook his head.

"No...I just saw him fall to the ground and heard the two of you arguing." Katara and Toph walked around the corner. Katara shook her head.

"Giant bugs, walking dead guys, what next?" Both of the twins jerked their heads to look at her. 

"Hasn't anyone ever told you not to ask that?" Vitani hissed. Kilani shook his head.

"This way is no good. Up is no good, their way was no good. Let's try this way." He said pointing down the hall to his left. The others nodded and followed him closely. They walked for a while before they came to a large door. Toph took a step away from the door shaking her head.

"No, bad door. Very bad door." Everyone turned to look at her with frowns. Katara looked back to the door then looked over to Toph.

"What?" Toph shook her head and turned around.

"Well we tried. It was nice knowing Haru." She said walking off. Katara grabbed her by the collar and frowned.

"Wait a minute, what's wrong?" Toph didn't turn around only pointed back towards the door.

"Doors don't have heart beats, and they shouldn't breathe."


	24. Chapter 24

**Be warned. I kinda made up from lack of gore. Not too terrible bad. **

"You mean to tell me that this door is breathing?" Vitani said pushing his mask up. Toph shook her head.

"No, Firecracker. I mean to tell you that I am walking away from a perfectly normal door that has nothing suspicious about it what-so-ever." Vitani smiled and turned to look at his brother.

"Oh, I like her. Can we keep her?" Kilani frowned and pushed his brother's mask back down over his face. Kilani turned back to look at Toph.

"You said that the door is breathing, like it's alive." Toph nodded crossing her arms over her chest. She shook her head.

"Before you even ask: Yes, I'm sure. And No I will not touch it." Kilani shrugged and nodded.

"Fair enough. Vi, what do you say? You tasting what I'm tasting." Vitani grinned behind his mask and pulled his swords from his back.

"Taste like blood, Ki." The two looked at each other and nodded. Katara looked at Aang, and they both took a cautious step away from the twins. Toph shook her head, her back still to the door.

"Not a good idea. If the door eats you don't come crying to me." Kilani looked over his shoulder at Aang.

"Once we get in, I want the three of you watching our backs." Vitani nodded and looked back at them.

"Yeah, I don't want some fucking monster crawling up my ass." The two turned and faced the door, in unison they took a deep breath letting it out slowly.

* * *

Sokka hit the ground as a large rock slab jutted up from the ground under his feet. Ryn smiled and snapped her whip on the ground next to his head. He rolled forward and caught her around the waist knocking her to the ground. As they fell she flicked the whip wrapping it around his neck. He slammed her to the ground and hit her across the face with the dull end of his boomerang. She arched her back, bucking him over her head. She jumped up and jerked on the whip slamming him back to the ground when he tried to get up. 

"Sit boy." She glanced over at Haru and smiled as Rei moved around him, and his little rock shield. Ryn smirked and threw her hand up, causing the shield to crumble. Rya ducked a fire ball and looked over helping her sisters out with Haru. She stomped her foot as she dodge a flaming kick and launched Haru into the air. Rei smiled and pulled the water from the grass around her. She threw it up and encased Haru as he hit the ground. Haru pulled the Earth up around him, absorbing as much of the liquid as he could. He looked up in time to see the heel of a black boot coming at him. The spiked heel caught him across the jaw and sent him rolling across the ground. She smiled down at him and looked over at Rya who had her hands full with the feisty fire bender. She smiled and watched as the boy brought a flame dagger to his hand. She brought her hand up quickly, sending the water from the grass beneath him up to extinguish his flame. 

Zuko growled and shook the water from him as he dodge a cracking whip, only to be pulled down into the ground. Rya smiled and shook her head. She glanced over at Ryn and threw her hand out sending a rock flying into the back of Sokka's head. He grabbed his head and lost his attention on Ryn, only looking back in time to see a slab of Earth hurdling at him. Haru cussed as he picked himself up off the ground. He didn't have the energy for this. He looked up at the scantily clad females. They were magnificent fighters. He stood up and looked over at Rei waiting for her to attack. She smiled and crossed her arms over her massive chest and cocked her shoulders side ways. Haru glanced to the side, Sokka was down and on top of that unconscious. He looked to the other side to see Zuko get kicked in the face by those lethal boots. Blood sprayed up from the boy's nose as his head rolled to the side. Ryn and Rya, the two earth benders, turned to look at Haru. Rei smiled and walked over to him, she stopped right in front of him.

"Don't worry. We're not going to kill you. But to see that baby brother has given up something that makes him happy, makes us terrible sad. I believe that you would make a most beautiful present to him." Haru's eyes grew wide. He threw his arms forward covering Rei in a mound of earth only to have it thrown back at him.

* * *

Kilani and Vitani hit the 'breathing' door again with their shoulders, this time the door flew open. The two stumbled and caught their footing, their swords ready. They almost dropped their swords, and their stances at the sight in front of them. Katara slapped her hand over her mouth to keep herself from yelping. In front of them, in all they gory glory, hung what used to be Yina. She was hung high on a large metal pole close to the ceiling. 

The corpse's arms were tied up over the head. From the wrists to the shoulder sockets were stripped of skin, the bloody muscles relaxed in death. The face was down cast with, blood dripping from the chin to a pool on the floor. The girl's breast were covered in a white cloth, but that only drew the attention to the work done on the girls stomach. Her abdomen had been sliced open and the skin and muscle tissue removed from the tip of the sternum to right above the pubic area, which was also covered in a cloth, that used to be white. A small wire netting held most over her organs insider her body, providing a look into the natural positions. Except that is for the intestines. The small intestine was unfolded and pulled out to wrap around the upper part of the body, The large intestine wrapped around the lower part of her body. Her internal female organs had been removed and nailed to her feet. 

Katara fought back a gaga as she looked away. Aang shook his head as he tried to look around to the rest of the room. Both of them jerked to look at Vitani as he cussed. He was looking in one direction his brother had his back looking in the other. Two very large men approached from either sides. Vitani shook his head.

"No fucking way! I killed this mother fucker!" He said staring at the large bald man, whose neck was in perfect condition. Kilani shook his head.

"Obviously you didn't, Vitani. I thought killed this guy! I'm fairly sure I killed him." He said staring as the blind man walked over to them, a new even meaner looking weapon in his hand. Vitani shook his head.

"Obviously you didn't." The both watched as the two large men stopped about ten feet from them. Aang shook his head.

"What did you two expect? Weren't we just attacked by a walking pile of bones?" He frowned and put his back against Vitani's. Katara backed up to Kilani with Toph in between. 

"Heh heh. Why do you look so perplexed pretty bird?" Xia said stepping from behind the dangling corpse. He looked up over the girl then back down to Katara.

"Ah. I see. Priogi did over do it a little. He likes to be extravagant in his decorating. I trust that you noticed his beautiful work in the entrance halls." The bald man smiled. Xia smiled and shrugged his shoulders nuzzling into the black fur. 

"Come. There isn't enough room in here." He turned and took a few steps. He turned to look back at them, when he didn't here them move. "Don't trust me? You would really hate to see poor Yina come to life and attack you, wouldn't you? So I suggest we move to a larger area that is corpse free. " The two large men followed Xia into the other room. Toph nodded and then shook her head.

"Okay time to go." She turned around and stopped. "Oh shit...I hate bugs." She said as a mound of parasites erupted from the earth in front of her. She turned and followed the others, noticing that the insects didn't enter the room. They stopped as they walked inside the large chamber. Xia smiled as he sat at a large banquet table. Katara looked over the table at the massive amount of food that covered it. _One, two three, four, five, six. _She counted the place settings, Xia being the seventh, and frowned as she tried to run her mind over the numbers real quick. Before she could come to a conclusion Xia stood up.

"I hope you don't mind, I've invented some family down. Oh and one other thing." A door slammed behind them. Priogi grabbed Vitani stepping back as a large door slammed sealing them off from everyone else. Just as this happened with Vitani, the same happened with Kilani, the blind Hugith grabbing him. Xia smiled and held out his hands.

"Ah much better." Toph growled and threw a large block at him, only to have it hurdled back at them. The triplets walked out of the shadows and crossed their arms. The black leather of their suits sparkling in the fire light. 

"May introduce my older sisters. Ryn, Rya, and Rei." As he said their names, they nodded. Just as soon as he finished talking the three were over the table. A hole appeared over the Toph as the three charged them. Rei was behind the other two and vaulted over her sister's shoulders scissor kicking Katara and Aang in the head, knocking them out of the way. The three grabbed Toph and up they went into the hole. Xia smiled.

"Rambunctious aren't they. Almost alone." He said his ice colored eyes setting on Aang. "Oh don't think that I am out of minions." Aang growled his chest puffing up.

"What are you going to sic the dead guy after us?" Xia smiled at that.

"Saddly no. You see, that was my father. Yina was master of black magic. She made deals with spirits that most would be afraid to ever say the name of. The trap I warned Katara of, wasn't a bluff. The gas that was triggered combined with the flames, was a spell Yina had placed over the tomb. If the trap was triggered, then my father would have life as long as Yina's heart would beat." He smiled and tilted his head to the side.

"As you can see, she is dead. The heart beat that you may have heard was artificially created using this ingenious machine that my elder brother created. It pumped her heart after she died, prolonging the life of my dead father. The air being pushed out reminded me of breath, so it could be expected that you heard it as well. But the machine could only keep pumping for a while, so she is official dead now." Katara shook her head.

"Where's Haru?" Xia frowned and shook his head.

"Your friend wasn't strong enough to survive within my walls. I'm sorry to tell you that you came all this way for nothing. Your friend is now a fertilizer for my beautiful flowers." Katara shook her head. "No..." Xia smiled.

"Sorry, but it's true. You're getting me off the point, I would like you to meet, Shemiya." He said. A man dressed in black walked out from the shadows. His hair was white as snow hanging down to mid thigh. His skin was white as his hair, with demon pink eyes, set in a beautiful exotic face.

"Jes which of dees intrudas is I gonna handle..?" Xia smiled politely raising a lazy hand to point at Aang.

"The avatar. If you would be so kind?" The man smiled .

"Would be an honor. Ain't gonna take very long any ways."

* * *

**Hehe. Guess who that is.**


	25. Chapter 25

Well...hmm I forgot that most of you have not read Not Me or Yeah you...so none of you got the last bit with the albino. He's from another story, yeah he's making an appearance. NE WAY besides that there's nothing too graphic in this one, except um uh...

1.) Bitch in a bottle

2.) BBQed body parts

3.)Severed body parts.

OTHER then that nothing bad. Little info in to my pet Xia. I didn't get TOO graphic with that part...use your imagination a little.

Katara stared at Xia. Xia smiled at her and shook his head. He slipped his fur coat down over his shoulders and draped it over the back of his chair. He picked up a thin metal rod up off of the table and turned to look at her. He brought his hands back wrapping his long white hair around the rod, pushing the rod down between his head and the tie holding his hair.

"Your move, pretty bird." He brought his hands down and watched her. She didn't move she just stared at him.

"Why do you do this? Why?" A smile crawled across his face. He walked over to a large column in the wall. She watched him as he walked. The flame shaped scars that stretched across his pale back, were frightening and much darker then the rest of his skin. She moved her eyes over to look at the column. He turned to look at her as he pulled the drapery from the wall. The fabric fell to the floor, revealing a large glass cylinder. Katara felt her throat knot up as she stared at a girl, suspended in a blue tinted liquid. Her brown hair hung as if the wind were still blowing it.

Katara stared at the peaceful face of the girl. She couldn't be much older then herself. The girl was beautiful, and her clothes clung to her body and gave her away as a member of the Northern Water tribe. Katara's eyes grew wide as she noticed in several placed the girl had places with stitches. A long line across her throat, two matching lines across her her wrists, and another across her conveniently bare stomach. Katara frowned and took a step back.

"You are sick." Xia smiled and looked up at the girl in the container. He shook his head and turned to look at Katara.

"No. Believe it or not. I was once a very respected man. I was a top healer in the Northern Water tribe, about seven years ago. I was your brother's age, I believe. I was proud of my control over the element." He stopped and his eyes turned dark.

"Then this little girl decided to stir things up." He cocked his head to look up at the girl. "She came to me because she had gotten pregnant. She was unwed and not yet of marrying age. Her father was the Chief's right hand." Xia's eyes narrowed as he turned to look at Katara.

"She begged me to give her something so she would loose the child. When I refused, she ask if there wasn't a procedure that could be done, or if I couldn't just cut it out. I refused again. She had made her own bed, so she needed to lay in it. Instead of accepting her fate as it was, she blamed me. She accused me of raping her, of taking advantage of her when she had come for me to heal a cold."Xia shook his head as he snarled up his nose.

"I was taken and put in a guarded cage. Her father came for me, her two older brothers with him." Xia closed his eyes and took a step forward. He opened his eyes as he walked towards her. He stopped about ten feet away from her and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I was beaten while I pleaded for my life. I begged them to listen, to let me go. I cried out for help, but no one would listen. I was treated worse than an animal. I was torn beyond your wildest imagination. When I retaliated, the oldest brother laid dead at my feet. I hadn't meant to kill him. They dubbed me a demon and I was exiled. As I made my way here, I learned of my father, and his other children. I picked up several apprenticeships with many doctor's along the way. I left each one of them when they would loose a patient. Their incompetence was staggering. As I made my way here, I made friends. Convicts that had a taste for blood, murders that excelled in their trades, rapists, mutilators. Each of them became fascinating to me." He started stepping sideways, Katara watching him diligently. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Hard to believe that at one point in time, I was gentle. I wouldn't hurt anyone, regardless of what they did to me. But that passed. I settled here. I hadn't been here but for a few months when I learned of her marriage. Her father had married her off to a rich and prominent young Earth Bender. Who lived just a few miles from here. What luck?" He turned to look at her with a smile.

"That doesn't say why you do these things. And what did you do to her?" Xia turned to look back at the girl. He took a deep breath and put his hands behind his back.

"She became a conquest. I had to destroy her life, like she had done mine. It was through her own whoreish actions that I was exiled. She made her self known in the village, so we collected her. She is now one of my prizes. She'll never again ruin anyone's life." Xia smiled. Katara frowned.

"That doesn't explain why her stomach is sewn up, or why you do these things." Xia shook his head.

"Ah but it does. She was eight months pregnant when she happened into my inn for a bite to eat. She never got to see her child." Katara's jaw fell open and she stared at him in disbelief.

"You cut the baby out of her?"

"Yes. Then I slit her throat and her wrists, healed her, and repeated the process. The last time I didn't heal her wounds, I only sowed them up. She was so beautiful that I wanted to keep her from decomposing so here she is." Katara shook her head and flung a sphere of ice at him. He caught it and threw it back at her in the shape of a spear. He smiled as she caught it.

"I see that upset you." She frowned.

"Explain why you do this! You have dodged the answer all around!" He frowned and shook his head.

"No, sweety, I haven't. You are just to stupid to understand." Katara growled and flung her arm out turning the ice into whip. She lashed it out at him. He grabbed the end and froze the length right into her hand. She growled and spun around throwing an orb at him. Xia smiled and ducked under it, with two steps he stood up right in front of her. She stared up at him as he grinned.

"Temper temper." He smiled and darted down kissing her on the nose. She shoved him back and turned around to kick him, but Xia grabbed her foot and threw her to the ground.

"Come on, Katara. You can do better then that. I know you can." She rolled back and jumped up staring at him. She pulled to streams of water from her pouch and encased her hands in the flowing tendrils.

"Like this!?" She said and shot out a mound of water knocking him back against the wall freezing him there. She frowned as he started laughing. The water melted around him and gathered into a sphere in his hand.

"No, like this." He said stretching his hands out. The water splashed to the floor. She stared at him for a moment. A chill ran down her spine. He cocked his head to the side and smiled.

"This is how's it really done." She frowned as her skin began to tingle.

Vitani rolled back and vaulted off the wall trying to get away from the very large Priogi. He turned to look at the slow man as he turned and lumbered towards him. Vitani pulled his swords and waited for the large man to get just a little closer. The large man got just close enough then stumbled to the side just as Vitani struck at him.

"Fuck!" Vitani hissed and dove out of the way as the man threw a big rock at him. He jumped up onto one of the rafters and looked down at the man. He shook his head as sweat rolled down the side of his face beneath his mask.

"Hey...g.git ..down...ffrom..th..there.." The bald man stuttered. He clenched his fists together and slammed them into the support beam. Vitani looked up at the ceiling as the room shook. _Damn idiot's going to tear this place apart. _He looked down at the man as he brought his arms back again to strike the wooden beam. Vitani spun on of his swords around in his hand so that the blade was pointing down. He threw it at the man just as he hit the beam. It drove into the man's arm and out the other side, stopping when the hilt hit bone. Vitani dropped down and watched as the man struggled to pull the sword out of his arm. Vitani pulled the other sword around and started to drive it into the man as well, when the man broke the other sword in two. Vitani hesitated for a moment and then drove the blade into the man, missing his original target and landing it in the man's leg. He swung around and kicked the man in the head sending him across the room. The large man sat up and jerked the sword out and broke it into several pieces.

"Dammit...didn't think that through." Vitani cussed himself. He waiting till the man was trying to get up and ran over drop kicking the man into the wall, but as he fell back the man grabbed his ankle and slammed him into the wall as he fell. Vitani kicked the man in the face with his free foot and flipped back to his feet. He stumbled for a moment as his vision blurred. As a warm stream ran down the inside of his mask beside his nose, he realized how hard he had hit the wall. He watched the large man get up, as dizziness swam about in his head. He took a few steps back and held both his hands out.

"This gonna hurt..." He growled and closed his eyes. Within seconds monster flames shot from his hands engulfing the man. Vitani dropped his hands and pulled them in close to his chest, with a growl. He watched the large man flare about, drop the floor and begin rolling. But the fire had already done his job. He watched as the man burned. Once the flailing stopped and the body was still, Vitani let out a breath. He groaned and looked down at his black and bubbling arms. It didn't hurt yet, but he knew that was only because he had probably killed every nerve in them He walked over picking up the blade end of one of the broken swords. He turned and looked at the charcoaled corpse. He looked back at the blade.

"You're not coming to life again, ya bastard." He walked over and squatted down next to body. He took a deep breath and put the blade against the neck. He closed his eyes as he pushed down through the cooked tissue. He didn't have a problem until he came to the back bone. He opened his eyes and looked down at the man, the curdled blood spilling from his neck in a thick ooze. Vitani growled and pushed the blade down harder. He frowned even deeper when he couldn't get the bone's to give.

"Oh fucking hell!" He hissed and pushed the man's head backwards, the skin cracked and squirted puss as he pushed it back. He snarled his nose up and stuck his tongue out a little. "Yuck." He pulled the blade out and looked down at the red stained bones. He repositioned the blade between the bones and pushed down a little harder, the blade sliding easily through the cartilage. He moved the blade at the end of the bone going around the bump in the vertebra. He snarled his nose as the blade cut through the crispy skin on the other side. He looked down at the man as he shook his head.

"I really wish you had some hair." He said and grabbed the head by the ears. He stood up and flung the severed head across the room.

* * *

Toph frowned as she surveyed the three girls. The one that seemed to be the 'leader' was the water bender. She frowned. This wasn't fair. Three against one sucks. Rei shot out a stream of water towards her. Toph brought up a slap of earth soaking in the water. The two Earth benders came in at either side. Toph jumped back and threw a wall of earth at the two of them. The rebound it back to her, she split it and covered them over. She shot a rock at Rei. The woman dodged but just barely. She turned around and Toph was in front of her a large rock in her hands high over her head. She brought it down on the woman's knee, sounding a loud crack through the hall. The other two were on Toph in an instant. She pulled the ground up under her feet and jumped over the two, who simultaneously threw the Earth at Toph's feet. She fell to the ground but made the earth release her. She pushed the ground as she fell and opened up the floor. She fell to the next level and landed on top of someone with an oof.

"ow ow ow ow ow get off get off get off. GET THE FUCK OFF!!"


	26. Chapter 26

Toph turned around and punched Vitani in the chest.

"What did I tell you about helping me?!" Vitani growled as the girl sat on his arms.

"Get the fuck off of my damn arms!" Toph stood up. Vitani huffed and puffed as he tried to keep from screaming. Bright red blood where the force of her falling tore the skin, glided over the rough black charred places. Toph growled and listened. She kicked a rock at him. He moved his head as the rock went flying by.

"I told you I am no damsel." Vitani glared at her.

"You didn't tell me a damn thing." Toph frowned.

"Which one are you?" Vitani stood up cradling his arms.

"The fucking mean one." Toph nodded.

"Oh. Sorry. Maybe you shouldn't sound so much alike." Vitani looked up at the hole she had fallen from as she healed it up.

"We don't sound alike. I cuss, Ki doesn't." Toph rolled her eyes and shook her head.

* * *

Sokka rolled his head back opening his eyes weakly. He blinked into the light and frowned. His eyes focused long enough to see that there was a bunch of bars in front of him. He looked around. It wasn't a cage, but it was a prison. He stood up the chains around his wrist no letting him move. He looked at the floor, Zuko and Haru were also both chained. Sokka tore his hand upward trying the chains.

"Sit down. Those chains won't break." Sokka froze and looked out at the empty room. A table sat in the middle. A pair of black boots were propped up on the table crossed at the ankle. The boots uncrossed and the man put them down. He leaned forward his black hair spilling over his shoulders, and his yellow orange eyes piercing the dusty room. Sokka frowned.

"Who the hell are you?" The man smiled and leaned back in his chair crossing his arms over his chest.

"Denivian." Sokka cocked his eyebrow.

"Are you a bad guy? And can you let me out?" The man smiled and stood up. Black leather pants were tucked into the knee high soldier boots. A sleeveless long jacket swept the floor, a brilliant red lining. He walked over to Sokka and smiled. His face was young, but his eyes were fierce.

"Bad sort of runs in the family. And no I can't let you out." Sokka shrugged.

"It was worth a try...family...wait you aren't Xia's big brother are you?" The boy smiled crookedly. He pushed his feathered bangs behind his ears. Sokka eye's grew wide as he looked over the man's neck. Rings were set in his skin down his neck to his collar bone, a black ribbon criss crossing through it.

"I'm not big brother. I'm baby brother." Sokka frowned.

"Wonderful. Just how many siblings are there?" Denivian smiled.

"Let's see, there's me, Dexia, Deria, Deryn, Derei, and Delix." Zuko pushed himself up shaking his head.

"Have a problem with 'De' do we?" The boy's orange eyes turned to look at Zuko.

"It's sort of our father's calling card. My self and Delix, big brother, are the only two that have the same mother you see. It's hard to stay away from a fire nation woman. The triplets have an earth kingdom mom, and well Dexia, he's water." Zuko shook his head.

"You're father was just a..." Denivian smiled broadly.

"A traveling sperm donor. Why do you think we killed him?" Sokka's eyes grew wide.

"Excuse me?" The man smiled, an innocence of his youth showing through.

"Lix and myself put our whore of a father out of the way." Sokka frowned and then cocked his eyebrow.

"Is all of your family deranged?" Denivian walked back over to his chair and feel into the seat.

"No. I am actually the normal one. Xia actually was a good guy. The triplets were going to kill him at one point until he turned." Haru sat up and leaned against the wall.

"Why are you telling us all this?" Denivian pulled a small knife from his boot and started cleaning his nails.

"You're asking aren't you?" Zuko looked up at the boy.

"You'll answer any question we have to ask?" Denivian looked up at the boy with a smile. He slid the knife back into his boot and propped his feet back up on the table. He brought a hand up, a flame flickering to life. He extinguished the flame and re-lit it as he looked at the boy.

"All you have is but to ask." Haru frowned and looked over at the boy.

"How do we kill him?" Denivian's eyes brightened. He let out a soft laugh and shook his head.

"I don't think you can. Takes a hell of a lot to get close to him when he gets mad." Zuko rolled his eyes. Of course that was too easy. He wouldn't answer the questions without sarcasm. Zuko nodded then looked over at the man.

"How old are you?" The boy frowned and cocked his head to the side.

"Why ya interested there, sexy? See something you like?" Zuko frowned and looked at Sokka. But looked back to Denivian when he started laughing. "Seventeen, princey." Denivian sat forward in the chair and looked to the far side of the room. His face was blank for a moment as he listened and watched. A small figure appeared in the door. Denivian's smile curled over his face.

"Come on, Xiyan." Sokka and the other two turned to look at the small girl as she walked in. She had cocoa colored hair and piercing blue eyes. She wasn't more then eight years old, but it was already apparent she was going to be a heart breaker. The girl crawled up into Denivian's lap.

"Is daddy really going to die?" She said looking up at Denivian. The boy smiled warmly and pointed over at Sokka.

"That all depends on his sister." Xiyan turned to look at Sokka. She slide off of her uncle's lap and walked over to stand next to the cage.

"Why does your sister want to kill my dad?" Sokka blinked down at the girl with wide eyes. He turned to look at Haru. He pointed down to the girl.

"Is she yours?" Haru frowned at Sokka. Sokka shrugged. "Sorry, it's just that I thought he liked men." Denivian started laughing.

"He does. He's head over heels in love with long hair there. I haven't seen him like this. He's actually going to go through a fair fight, instead of just killing all of you. It's amazing, really." He shook his head. Xiyan frowned and jerked her leg up kicking Sokka in a tender spot, causing Denivian to jump.

"I ask you a question!" Sokka let out a puff of breath and lowered himself to the ground. Denivian jumped up and grabbed the girl by the hair and flung her backwards. He turned around and pointed a finger at her.

"No." He staid sternly and looked back at Sokka. "Dude, you okay?" Sokka gagged and gagged again in response. Denivian shook his head, trying not to laugh. "Xiyan, go back home." He said pointing. She puffed up her cheeks and stomped her foot crossing her arms over her chest.

"Ass hole." Denivian blinked at her before he kicked some dirt in her direction.

"Git!" Zuko frowned and looked at the guard.

"Why are you playing guard dog?" The man turned and looked at him with a questioning glare.

"The girls were very specific on how they wanted their new concubines to be treated." Zuko frowned and pulled on the chains around his wrist.

"We wouldn't be very good for them.." He said and turned to look at Haru. "He's already been spoiled to the taste of Xia. He won't want any other. " Denivian cocked his eyebrow at Haru. He cut Zuko's tactics off when he looked down to Sokka.

"Regardless. My brother cut you up pretty bad, but I heard Yina got a hold of you herself." Sokka looked up at Denivian and saw a darkness flash across her eyes. Sokka nodded. Denivian shook his head and walked back over to his table.

"The bitch would bend over backwards for him and he just ignored her." Haru frowned and looked over at the man.

"She was psychotic." Denivian looked over at Haru and nodded.

"Yeah. Who do you think I got to do my ribbon?"

* * *

Aang stumbled back from where the albino threw him into the room. He threw a gust of air at him and watched as the man side stepped it.

"Quite a quick tempa ya got der." Aang frowned and watched the man carefully, but the man didn't make a move to attack.

"Are you stalling?" Aang said straightening up. He was genuinely curious. The man shook his head.

"Ain't no need to stall. Ya need to git yer friends from out der prison." Aang blinked in confusion.

"What?" The man turned his dark pink eyes to glare at Aang.

"Can't ya understand?" Aang thought for a moment then shook his head.

"No..you have a funny accent." The man frowned and threw a fireball at Aang. Aang jumped backwards.

"Wouldn't be funny ifen it were yers. Now I's tellin ya to git ya ass out de room, and go git yer friends."

"You're letting me go?" The man shook his head.

"I gots no use fer ya. Ya just saved me de trouble of getting out myself. Ya didn't actually tink I was born disa way? Did ya?"


	27. Chapter 27

Now I might be from the south, and I know how I talk, but DAMN! writing it is a moth in fooker...yeah that was on purpose.

* * *

Xia smiled as Katara's arms tightened close to her body. Her eyes grew wide as she tried to shake her head.

"You're a..blood bender..." Xia smiled. He stepped closer to her with a crooked grin. He tsked and stopped just a few inches from her.

"Technically, the body is eighty percent water. But blood bender does sound better then body bender." He turned his hand bending Katara's hands backwards until they reached a painfully awkward angle.

"You deserve to die..." Xia shook his head.

"Now I believe you said, and I quote 'no one deserves to be treated like this'. So doesn't that excuse me from the crimes I have committed?" Katara narrowed her eyes. He shook his head with a frown. "Katara, I know that you are holding back. On my last prison run, I met a most exceptional elderly southern water tribe woman. I thought I was the only one with this ability, but she told me of herself, and a beautiful young woman she had passed it on to." His eyes darkened. "So you are making this too easy for me. Just for the sake of your morality?" Katara growled.

"You should use such a gift for good." Xia nodded.

"I agree. And I did. Until the little bitch ruined it for me. But tell me Katara, just where do you stand with your morality?" She frowned at him as he took a step back. Her muscles tightened painfully in her arms against her will.

"I'm fine where I stand!" Xia cocked an eyebrow and tilted his head to the side.

"Are you, now? How is it that you have absolutely no qualms about leading the guys on?" Katara's frowned deepened.

"I don't know what you mean." Xia shook his head and closed his fingers. Katara forced back a yelp as her wrists bent even further back.

"You're not as innocent as you try to act. You lead the poor avatar on, making him believe that you have feelings for him. Haru and Zuko both have feelings for you. One knowing that you return his feelings. The other knowing only that there is still hatred in that heart of yours for him. Yet through all of their emotion tied to you, you returned none of it without a motive. Here these men are, that you know inside and out, have been through hell and back with, and all it takes for you to fall for me, was pretty smile, a few choice words, and you were putty in my hands." She stared at him in disgust.

"You don't know me at all." Xia stepped back and pulled with his hands. Katara felt as if her blood was going to rip from her skin.

"I learned this when I was young, it's very effective in surgery, different procedures, and keeping the unruly in line." He dropped his hands, and Katara fell to the floor. She grabbed her face as the blood streamed from her nose. He shrugged and blinked at her.

"All you have to do is show me this power you have. I know you have it. Morality or no, it's either blood bend, or the grave for you." She stared up at him, blood covering the bottom half of her face. HE put his hands out and closed them. She doubled over grabbing her abdomen.

"You're vital organs can only withstand so much pressure, whether it's from the outside," He turned his hands over, causing Katara to lurch. "Or the inside...all you have to do is fight back." He dropped his hold on her and shook his head.

"I'm giving you more than enough reason and time. Will I have to permanently damage you before you will retaliate?"

"I am not like you." This comment brought a smile to Xia's face.

"Oh, really? Because I know it for a fact that the Avatar cannot heal with his water bending. So when you ordered him to come help you as you tended your brother's wounds, you merely made him feel important. When it is actually you using the water around his hands to help you heal faster." He smiled and cocked his head to the side. "So it would seem to me, that you don't know yourself. Step back and take a look at your own misguiding actions."

* * *

Kilani sprung backwards avoiding the large hammer. He dropped down low to the floor and watched the blind man. The man wasn't talking this time. His ears were open and he was intently listening for signs of movement. Kilani frowned and moved along the ground, his body as low as he could manage. If he went in low and stabbed the man, he had to contend with a hammer the size of a ten year old child. If he threw something at the man, he had to make sure to hit where he was aiming, then he would have to move very swiftly and quietly to get away from the spot her threw from. If he did that, then he would have to get in close and get what ever it was that he had thrown. Kilani looked up at the rafters over the man's head. The man turned and looked around the room. Not only was this blind man using his ears, but also his sense of smell, and touch. Kilani moved to the far side of the room as the man walked close to him, picking up small stones and tucking them in his pocked as he went.. He couldn't flame the guy because he would feel the heat of flame before it touched him. Kilani wrapped his hands around a large clod of sand.

He stood up slowly as to not disturb the the ground to much. He rared back and threw the clod into the wall next to the man. The man turned and slammed the massive hammer into the wall where it had hit. Kilani used the noise from the hammer to hide his own noise as he vaulted up onto the rafter. He lowered himself quietly down to the wood, sitting with his legs hanging over. He pulled one of the stones from his pocket with one hand, the other tight around the hilt of his sword. He tossed the rock to land a few feet out from the rafter he was on. The man ran over and slammed the hammer down on the ground where the rock hit. Kilani fell back on the rafter, his legs holding him to it, and stabbed the man in the back with the sword. He jerked it back as the man turned around with a swing of the hammer. He slammed it to the ground, and Kilani, again, used the racket to move along the rafters. Knowing the shot to the back was a kill, he repeated the process again in his new position, driving the sword into the man's stomach. He ripped the blade sideways and jerked back up, making sure to move from his position on the rafters to a new one. The blind man held his intestines in as he stumbled about. Kilani dropped a few more rocks causing the large man to stumble and lumber towards the noise. This time the man didn't react the same. He just stopped where the sound had come from and froze. He listened. Kilani frowned. He moved quietly and angled his blade, he slowly lowered himself down onto his belly on the rafter, the sword tip a foot from the man's head. Kilani waited until the large man turned his head just right, and drove the sword into the man's head via the ear. He dropped down to the ground as the man fell to his knees clawing at the sword. Kilani pushed his mas up bringing his hand up to touch the dried blood on his face. He snarled his nose and brought his leg up kicking the hilt of his sword driving the blade deeper and out the other side of the skull.

The man's body jolted as it tried to decipher the mangled messages it's now mutilated brain was sending out. Blood poured from the man's nose and down his chest. Kilani kicked the man over and grabbed the hammer's handle. He started to pick it up and grunted as the large head wouldn't budge. Kilani frowned and shook his head, jerking again on the hammer. It wouldn't budge, not one bit, at all. Kilani snorted and pulled his sword from the man, bit's of membrane and muscle sticking to the blade as the sticky mucus dripped in thick glops from it. He took a step back at watched the man bleed. But the man wasn't dead. He twisted his lips to the side and knelt down rolling the large man onto his back. He looked down at the gasping figure and gripped his sword in his hand. He drove the blade straight down a little left of center. More blood gushed up as he pulled the it out. He thought for a moment. He sheathed the blade he had been using and pulled the partner from it's sheath. He stood even with the man's head and slammed the blade down. Blood sprayed up in a curtain of life, raining back down on him as he sheathed the swords. He squatted down next to the man's now decapitated head and, even as the blood trickled down his face, he traced the fire nation insignia in the sand.

"May the spirits have mercy on you, where I didn't"

* * *

The white man stared at Aang. He shook his head as confusion over took him. He had told the boy in plain speak that he needed to leave, but still here he stood.

"Now, boy ya ain't as dense as ya be actin. Git yer sense togedda. Ya achully gonna make me go an kick yer ass. I ain't a wantin ta do it, but if ya don't get ta gittin, I'm gonna have to started making ya git my damn self." Aang shook his head.

"I don't under stand."

"Don't cha be makin no fun of my speakin. Ain't no damn joke. Maybe twas you dat was raised in a damn prison cell, ya'd be talkin worsen me." Aang stuck his hands up and shook his head with wide eyes.

"No, no..I understand what you are saying, I just don't know why?" The tall man walked over and looked down at the small avatar that only hit him chest high.

"I's tryin ta tell ya, dat I's aint got no fight wit ya. Disa way ya get to get yer friends out safe, and I get to dis'pear as if ya killed me. No more slavery, no more usin me to get what he nees. But now if yas really itchin dat damn bad fer a fight, I can kick yer ass den get my own self gone. Whether ya take dis opp'tunity or not makes no nevermind to me." Aang nodded. But something deep inside of him was screaming TRAP!

"Okay, I'm going."


	28. Chapter 28

Vitani watched as the Earth bender became very still. She was listening. He sat on the floor and listened with her. He clenched his hands, the skin cracking. He growled and looked over at the young girl. He grabbed the leg of her pants and ripped it off at the knee. Toph jumped and kicked him in the shoulder.

"What are you doing?!" Vitani snarled as he ripped the fabric and began wrapping it around one of his arms.

"My arms could be cousins to fire wood at this moment in time. I have to wrap them or the skin will rip off." Toph frowned as she 'looked' back up to the ground above her. She shook her head.

"Use your own clothes. Besides you knew what would happen if you used your bending." Vitani frowned at the girl through his mask and grabbed the hem of the other leg of her pants. She narrowed her eyes.

"Don't you dare.." But before she could finish her threat he tore the fabric loose. He wrapped his arm in a hurry as he stood up. He ducked as a rock came flying towards him, but he didn't see the rock that was coming from behind him. It cracked him in the back of the head sending him rolling forwards. He bound up and glared daggers at Toph.

"You didn't have to do that, now did you?" Toph smiled.

"It wasn't me, but I thought it was funny." She said and threw up a slab of rock in front of them as another boulder came flying their direction. Vitani growled as he watched two women drop from the ceiling. Toph shook her head.

"I hate these chicks." Vitani glanced at her.

"Are the good?'

"Only together." Vitani nodded.

"Then let's show them what we can do." Toph threw a boulder at the two women only to have it thrown back. She crumbled it and shook her head.

"I can take them on my own, and anyway, aren't you gimpy?" Vitani glared at the girl as the women got closer.

"Listen you can be independent another time. Right now, we are in worlds of trouble. I can't flame and you're out numbered. If you have a better suggestion, I would love to fucking hear it."

"Move."Toph shoved him out of the way as a tendril of Earth tried to wrap around his feet. He pulled his arms in close to his body and looked over at the two earth benders. One of them clenched her hands and hissed at Toph.

"You broke Rei's leg."Toph smirked.

"Good." She laughed as she pulled the walls together that separated them. She frowned and grunted.

"Okay, Firecraker. What now?" Vitani looked around the small part of the room she closed them off in. He turned and looked back to her.

"Hide me." She frowned as her jaw fell open.

"You coward!" He shook his head and frowned at himself forgetting that she couldn't see him.

"No. Can all Earth bender's sense like you can?" Toph's frown disappeared.

"I don't know." Toph thought for a moment then smiled. She turned as he backed up against the wall. She brought a thick layer of dust up over him, making him look like a large rock formation in the wall. She turned and dropped down into her ready stance and waited. But a better idea crossed her mind. She stomped her foot hard and spun down into the ground.

Ryn and Rya broke through the rock and stopped. They looked around with a frown. Rya turned to look at her sister.

"We let them have too much time?" Ryn shrugged as she walked out to the center of the room. She stared at the door that she thought led out into the main room. She shook her head and turned around to look at her sister.

"She must have shut the door behind them." Just as she finished her sentence, two hands shot up from the dirt and grabbed her ankles. She was jerked down into the ground as Toph exploded forward. She spun and gave Ryn a sharp kick to the chest, and as she spun with the follow through, threw out her hand causing a rock to jump up under Rya's feet. Rya stumbled back against the wall. She started to push her self away when the wall grabbed her wrists. next thing she knew she was face first on the ground with a foot in the middle of her back, her arms being forced up in a painful angle.

Ryn pulled her self from the ground and covered Toph in rock. The rocks exploded away from Toph as she swept her leg down knocking the woman off of her feet. Toph cringed as she heard a tell-tale tearing pop, then another right behind it.

"You bastard!" Rya screamed as Vitani tore her arms up dislocating both of her shouldersHe glared down at her as she rolled over onto her back. She stared up at him and stomped her foot pushing the earth under him into the air. He shook his head and slid down the side of the risen. He dropped down on top of her. He fell to his knees straddling her chest, and grabbed her head.

"Sorry, gorgeous, but you have to die now." He said with a smile. He snapped her head sideways breaking her neck. He looked up and watched Toph dance around the earth being thrown at her from the other woman.

"Toph, Duck!" Toph dropped down just as Vitani jumped over her landing a wind mill kick to the girl's jaw. The girl's eyes rolled back in her head as she dropped to the floor. Vitani knelt down next to the girl, and felt her pulse.

"She's just unconscious. Not dead. Do you want to finish her off?" He said looking up to Toph. Toph's eyes grew wide.

"I'm just a fighter..." Vitani nodded. He took the whip from the woman's belt and wrapped it tight around her neck several times, holding the handle in his hand. He looked over at Toph.

"Move to the wall." She didn't question him, like she wanted to. Something told her it would be better not to. Vitani stood up holding the grip tight. He closed his eyes pushing all of his energy and strength into his arm. In a flash he was facing the other direction bringing his arm down. Blood sprayed up from the woman and covered him. He dropped the blood covered whip and looked over at Toph. Her eyes were wide as blood ran down her face. He frowned and walked over to he. He tore a piece of his sash. Toph brought her hand up to wipe away the fluid on her face, but he caught her hand. He wiped the blood off of her face and threw the cloth to the ground. Toph blinked.

"Was that blood on my face?" Vitani couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah." She furrowed her eyebrows and hit him in the chest.

"Bastard.." She muttered as she turned to walk off. He grinned as he watched her walk away. _Kilani is gonna have to let me keep her._

* * *

Katara could feel her body begin to ache. Her mind was baffled as she thought of what he said. She tried not to, he was trying to push her. She wasn't going to let him get to her, but the fact is that he was.She felt her skin tingle as he clenched his fists. Katara looked at him in disgust. Xia shook his head as it became apparent that his patience was growing thin.

"I'm tired of these games, girl. Either fight back, or I start busting veins." To prove his point, Katara felt an intense pain shoot through her hand. She looked down to see a black bruise start to spread out in the skin between her thumb and finger. Katara shook her head. He wasn't playing. She looked up at him, the anger building in her. Xia turned and watched as the fluid his prize was in, started to slosh back and forth. He turned with a smile as the odd sensation crawled over his skin.

"Now you're talking." He pulled away from her control and dropped down into a low fighting stance. Katara threw her arms out. She could feel the 'strings' reach out from her finger tips. The threads dove down into his body latching onto those ever important arteries. His eyes fluttered shut for a moment, then he snapped them open. A wicked smile crossed his face. He suddenly sprang backwards, vaulting off of the ground and coming to stand on the table. Katara fell forward as if she were connected to him. She closed her hands tight cutting off the 'threads'. He smiled at her and kicked a large roasted squirrel-chicken at her.

"See? If you would have been practicing your skill, you would have been able to control it better. Instead you are too moral! HAH!" He smiled and flared his fingers out. He jumped back down to the floor as his control snaked over her. His felt different from hers. His didn't feel like threads, or strings. His felt alive. A snake-dragon winding it's way over her body. She could feel the movement's under her skin. The animalistic feel of his power diving into her. Suddenly it was gone leaving her on her knees gasping for breath, and a bright blush covering her face. She looked up at Xia in fear. The realization that he was more powerful then here. The actuality that he could easily kill her. The horrifying reality that he was playing with her. He was enjoying watching her writhe. He smiled at her.

"What's the matter strumpet? Feeling a little exhilarated?" She narrowed her eyes and spat at him. He cocked an eyebrow, and again his control, his power, was on her, in her, filling her. Sensations rolled through her body and centered in her chest. Her eyes grew wide as she realized what he was going to do. She made herself stand up stretching her hands out towards him. He became rigid and she could feel his control weaken. But for all of her effort she could not break that control of his. He met her eyes and a glint flashed through them. With clenched fists he brought his arms up. Katara's eyes widened as her arms followed his. He crossed his arms and brought them close to his body. As he did this her arms came down and she stumbled forward. She braced her legs and forced more chakara to her hands. For all the good it did her, he made her stumbled forward. She stumbled trying to fight her legs. He uncrossed his arms and she spun around. He wrapped his long arms around her and pulled her close to him. Her heart began to beat wildly as his power doubled in size the closer so was to him. A shiver ran over her body, and she wasn't sure if it was because of his power, or because of him. Every inch of her back was held tight against his front. His arms crossed over her, his hands resting on her shoulders. He ran his fingers down her arm as he let his chin rest on her shoulder.

"Imagine, your power, and my own in a sensual dance. Passions soaring, blood pumping, and ecstasy in reach at all times." His words were hot against her ear. It didn't escape her that with every syllable her body responded. She frowned and broke out of his arms. She turned around with an equally disgusted and horrified look in her eyes.

"You manipulating bastard." He smiled at her warmly.

"Not manipulating. Enhancing. I am only enhancing the reaction your body has for me. Regardless of what your heart now feels, your lust will betray you every time...with a little persuasion of course." Katara felt his control wrap around her. She tore back away from him bringing her hands up. He grew rigid again, but she couldn't maintain complete control with his power clenching tighter around her heart.

"Come on, puppet. Show me all you got."

* * *

"So your brother wouldn't return the favor of this girl?" Denivian looked over at Zuko. He scoffed and shook his head.

"No, but would you? I mean she did slice your friend up. And Do you even know what she did with it?" Sokka's eyes grew wide and his brows scrunched together.

"Nooo...?" Denivian smiled and shook his head as he laughed. His feathered black hair fell around his face as he bent over. He pulled a sting loose on his pants and pulled the leather apart up to his knee. He stuck his leg out so the guys in the cage could get a good look. The same rings that decorated his neck ran the length of his leg. He laced the leather back up and sat back.

"The lace and ring jobs she did for me, were supposed to be our thing. Then I learned of her little fetish. Pieces that were cut out of your back, Sokka, and slices that were removed from you nether regions.." He stopped with a witty smile over his face. "Heh, and also a good amount of your blood, Princey, went into a dish that was fed not only to your friends, but she had some herself." Sokka's eyebrows furrowed. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he was gone. He hit the floor with a thud. Haru looked at Zuko.

"They didn't tell us that part." Zuko didn't pay the comment any heed. He had a plan and by the spirits he was going to stick with it.

"So she had a cannibalism fetish? Did that turn you off from her?" Denivian licked his lips and shook his head.

"No. I'm not into that kind of stuff myself."

"Bullshit! You're lying through your teeth!" Denivian fell backwards in his chair. He hit the floor and looked backwards behind him to the open door. Xiyan stood in the door way, her arms crossed over her chest. Denivian rolled over and pushed himself up. He walked over to the girl and smacked her in the back of the head.

"Don't cuss!" She glared up at him.

"You can't sit there and tell those guys that you aren't into anything weird. Just look at you! You are wearing bone rings. She was just up your alley! And just because my father refused her body does not make him a bad person!" Denivian stared at the little girl.

"You don't know a thing about your father, so you just let me draw my own decisions. Ya little brat. Get your ass back to bed!" She puffed her chest out and looked up at him square in the eyes.

"I know more about my father then you think I do!" The boy cocked his eyebrow and shook his head.

"If you're so smart Xiyan, tell me how he fathered you when he's never been with a woman?" The little girl's eyes opened wide as shock ran over her face. Tears welled in her eyes as she stared up at him.

"So it is true...?" She covered her eyes as she began to scream. She took off running down the corridor, her cries echoing behind her. Denivian smiled and sat back down at his table. He pushed the chair back on it's hind legs and and propped his legs up.

"Congratulations big man, you made a little girl cry." Zuko smiled his taunt still on his lips. Haru nodded.

"You're own niece no less." Denivian laughed and shook his head.

"Were you not listening? She's not even his daughter. Dexia has never been with a woman, well maybe he has. I don't know for sure. But not that girl's mother. That girl's mother is the reason he is the way he is. That's the bastard child that he was accused of making against the mother's will. So when he found the little bitch eight months almost nine months along, he took back what was claimed to be his. He's raised Xiyan as his own. She's a pampered little brat. He gives her everything she wants, she's never hungry, in need or in pain." Zuko cocked his good eyebrow.

"Well congratulations to him, he gets the sadistic father of the year award."

"Yes, well. He's never given her the one thing she wants: a mother. She's heard the rumors of where she came from, and now she knows the truth. It's a crime, really, to actually lie to a child all of their life. Better she finds out now, before she grows up and takes on the families' mean streak."

* * *

**Y'know I honestly wasn't planning on making Xia that sexual with the showdown. But you gotta admit, it was pretty hot. If I was a villainness ...hoo doggie! Whew! Okay y'know what to do. R&R **


	29. Chapter 29

**Point Taken Blue tiger...Maybe I should...NO no you will just have to wait and see. LONGEST CHAPTER I HAVE EVER WRITTEN, without breaking it into shorter chapters.**

**Warnings: NOT FOR THE WEAK OF HEART. OOC-ness all around! **

* * *

Kilani curved his way around the twisted corridors. The door that he had been pulled through before the fight began was sealed shut. He mental grumbled to himself. If only he was large and bulky, instead of trim he could have picked up the hammer. It might have been a more evenly matched fight. He was so lost in his own mental mutterings that he didn't even realize he was turning a corner. He slammed face first into somebody. Himself and the person he ran into stumbled backwards. He frowned and looked over at Vitani, who just like himself was covered in drying blood. Kilani turned and looked at the little blind girl. Her pants were tore just above the knees and she was also covered in the red sticky. Kilani frowned and looked back to his brother.

"Have you found a way back to the main room yet?" Vitani shook his head.

"We've been wandering around this fucking maze for about ten minutes!" He growled as Toph kicked him. Kilani arched eyebrow, but before he could say anything Toph answered his question.

"I told him to quit cussing around me." Kilani held back a laugh. He looked at his brother with a smile and shook his head.

"Her little ears don't need to hear such language." He couldn't help but laugh at the face his brother made. They turned and looked around, finding a small off branching hall. Kilani glanced down at his brother's arms and frowned. He glanced at his brother's back as well, noting that there were no swords there.

"Your swords?" Vitani shrugged.

"Broken."

"Ah." Kilani nodded and pulled the straps holding his swords to his back. He handed them over to his brother. He pulled the pronged weapon from his belt and picked up Toph's hand, placing the handle in it.

"I don't need a weapon." Kilani smiled.

"I know that. But what if you can't rely on your bending?" She frowned .

"How the hell am I supposed to use this? I'm blind you dolt!" Kilani laughed and that made her frown deeper. Vitani grabbed her other hand and placed it on the flat part of the blade.

"Familiarize yourself with the weapon. You being blind is only a hindrance if you let it be." She let her frown disappear as she ran her hands gently over the entire length of each blade. Kilani smiled.

"And because you have that ability to sense a person through the earth, you will be able to 'see' them just as well." Toph didn't respond. She wrapped her hands around the handle and looped her belt around the weapon.

"Okay, but when we get out of here, you two will have to show me how to use it." Kilani looked over at Vitani and they nodded at each other.

"It's a deal." Toph smiled.

"Good, now let's go." As they started running, Toph running between them, Vitani looked over at Kilani.

"Were you able to complete?" Kilani nodded and ask the same question.

"Yes." Toph stopped. The two stopped and turned to look at her.

"I'm not sure If I correctly followed your conversation but were you two just asking if the people we were fighting were killed?" Kilani nodded and quickly spoke up.

"That's right." Toph smiled nervously.

"Well you see the thing is.." Vitani smiled and shook his head.

"We wouldn't expect you to kill." Kilani smiled at his brother. This girl was having quiet a sisterly effect on Vitani. They might just have to keep her around a while. He turned and looked at Toph.

"Yes, you are far too young to have your hand's painted red. If the last one shows up, we'll deal with her." Toph nodded.

"Good as long as I don't have to watch." Vitani and Kilani frowned for a moment then started laughing. Toph laughed at her self and started running again the others right in beside her.

* * *

Haru frowned as thoughts raced through his mind. He helped Sokka sit up as the boy started to come too. Only to have Denivian throw his head back in laughter.

"You survive through all the tortures my brother had for you, then just at the slightest hint of something considered taboo, you fall out! You crack me up!" Zuko frowned and attempted to cross his arms, but his tethering chains keeping him from achieving his menacing glare.

"So you don't consider you brother's 'practices' to be taboo?" Denivian became stone faced as he thought. He shook his head and looked square at the prince.

"As horrible as his studies maybe, there is still too much good in that man to consider him taboo, bad maybe, but not taboo." Zuko frowned.

"Example?" Denivian thought for a moment.

"His closet. He keeps things in there." Haru nodded.

"Yes. Piece and parts of his old patients. Souvenirs." Sokka and Zuko both turned to look at Haru with questioning faces.

"You've seen it? Or did he tell you about it?" Sokka ask not sure he wanted to know the answer. Haru looked down to the ground, ashamed but not truly knowing what he was ashamed of. He looked up at them shaking the guilty feeling out of his stomach.

"He showed me after he decided..well regardless... he showed me the dead bolted closet." Denivian frowned.

"Mostly right. But the jars aren't used for souvenirs. He keeps them and researches the contents, or if needed he gives the parts to someone who needs it." The three boys frowned as their eyes swung around to stare at the boy.

"What!?" Denivian shrugged his shoulders and toyed with a coin in his hand. He flipped the coin in the air and let it drop onto the table.

"Just about a month ago, when I first arrived here, there was a little girl. She was about thirteen. She had been born with a hole in her heart..." Denivian frowned and closed his eyes as if he was trying to remember details. " She had survived all this time, but the hole had gotten too big.. Her parents came to Dexia, begging him to save their daughter." He opened his eyes and looked past the guys, staring at the wall behind them. "He took a heart from one of his recently deceased patients...I believe that Brutus had killed him because he got out of line, but that's beside the point. He replaced the girl's heart with patients. " Denivian shook his head, his face not a happy one. " He refused payment for the procedure. You see the entire town has come to him at one point or another with things that needed fixing."

"The villagers don't know where he gets the parts. If they did, they would never have let him stay." Sokka growled, but his comment only brought laughter from Denivian. He stood up and shook his head.

"Do you honestly think one man could run such an elaborate place, without anyone being the wiser? Come one. Think logically. The entire village knows what he does. Hell, they help him capture over half of his patients." The guys' eyes grew wide as they stared at the raven haired man.

"How...?" Zuko frowned. Denivian smiled. He didn't care that he was giving a lot of background on his brother. In truth he preferred this to the quiet, plus he liked to here himself talk.

"I'm sure you saw the large farms just outside the village?" They guys nodded. "What you didn't see was the hives where he farms his pets. The farmers will spot potential men and open the cage that holds them, and voila! Instant body parts. And the woman that runs the hospital? She jars blood that some of her patients come in loosing, and hands it over to Dex. She also helps him in his more difficult procedures. The undertaker is an earth bender, who helps bury the dead, and his wife is a talented gardener. She keeps the gardens up and beautiful. The merchants refer passer-bys and wandering hermits to the inn, if they believe they are his type." Haru frowned.

"His type?...that's disgusting!" Denivian shook his head.

"Not necessarily. Haven't you wondered why you were kidnapped and not the avatar along with you? Look at you. You're organs are completely developed. Between fifteen and thirty is usually who he picks. And why would that be...?" Sokka frowned.

"Because younger then fifteen the body is still developing...and over thirty there is a chance that the organs have been damaged..."

"Ding ding! We have a winner." Denivian said pacing the floor. He walked over to the cage and looked at Haru.

"You I don't get, though. Hiiu was thinner than you, more submissive. He was smaller, and more into the sadomasochism than you appear to be. He surrendered his body willingly over to Dexia, yet you refuse him? Is it that he yearns after your strength, your will power, or is it that age old desire to have that in which is hard to get?" Haru frowned at the man. Before he could say anything in retaliation the sound of running steps filled the room. Denivian whirled around to face the three doors. A cloud of dust sprang up where the twins and Toph came to a skidding stop in one of the door ways. Vitani had the swords in his hands in the blink of an eye and the other two were down in their ready positions. Just as the dust settled around them, Aang slid to stop in the door opposite of them.

"Let our friends go! Or you'll regret it!" Aang demanded in the most threatening voice he could squeak out. _What a time for my voice to crack!_ Denivian blinked at him and looked up to his already raised hands. Aang dropped from his stance and let a very confused look cross over his face.

"You surrender? That easy?" Denivan shrugged his shoulders and stared at the young boy.

"I have no use for them." Kilani looked at his brother as they relaxed. Sokka's eyes were set on Toph though.

"Toph?" She shrugged as she straightened up.

"Sounds good to me." Denivian nodded and looked at the twins.

"Can I put my arms down now?" Vitani shook his head.

"Nope. You can stand there just like that all fucking year." Vitani snarled as Toph kicked him hard in the shin. He shot her a glare and turned to look back at the black haired boy. Aang blinked and looked around.

"Now what?"

"GET US OUT!" Sokka, Zuko and Haru screamed in unison. Before Aang could move, a third cloud of dust puffed up from the center door. As the dust settled, the albino blinked his pink eyes at the room.

"Dis de wrong damn door."

"YOU!?" The twins yelled and found themselves again in fighting stances.

"ME!" Shemiya turned to look at who had screamed at him. He cocked an eyebrow and let out a deep breath. "Dis just ain't my day." Aang frowned.

"Wait a minute! He was supposed to fight me, but he let me go!" Vitani's golden eyes shot daggers at the young avatar, but it was Kilani who spoke first.

"You don't know how long it took us to catch him."

"Pleasure seein ya agin boys, but I tink I be leavin now." He said and tried to turn around only to come face to face with a large slab of earth. Vitani smiled and patted Toph on the head.

"Thank you." She snarled and punched in on the shoulder. Denivian lowered his arms and backed up against the wall next to the cage. He crossed his arms over his chest and laughed. He shook his head and pulled the keys out of his shirt.

"This is getting to be too much." He pushed away from the wall tossing the keys over his shoulder into the cage. Sokka grabbed them and quickly unshackled himself and the others. Denivian started to walk to one of the doors, when Vitani jumped on the table in front of him.

"OH no no. You see, your brother used us as patients, now you are going to be used for leverage. Thank you." Denivian brought his eyebrows up and looked at the man.

"You are out of your fucking mind. What makes you think that I would be leverage?" Denivian frowned as he found himself side to side with the albino.

"I hate ta be tellin ya dis, bud, but I'm tinkin that we's in the same boat and it's sinkin fast." Sokka rubbed his wrist as he helped the others push the gate open. Haru shook his head.

"Have you all forgotten, that this man is in battle with Katara at the moment?" All movement stopped and turned to look at the Earth Bender. While the attention was diverted Shemiya and Denivian slipped quietly and quickly down the corridor and quickly out of sight. Vitani turned around to see the two gone. He jumped off of the table.

"Goddammit!" He growled as a rock hi him in the back of the head. He turned and glared at Toph. HE shook his head and turned his eyes back on Haru.

"That bastard was one of our first assignments! It took us two years to catch his albino ass!" Kilani shook his head. He walked over and looked at his brother.

"Hush. He's gone now." Vitani frowned and crossed his arms roughly over his chest. He lept a foot in the air and let out a yelp. He shook his hands as the green fabric wrapped around them started to turn brother.

"Mother fucking piece of shit!" He covered his mouth and ducked expecting the entire cave to fall down on him. He looked up when nothing hit him. He turned and looked at Toph, she was just shaking her head.

"You did it."

* * *

Katara flared her hands out and focused harder on the center of the man. Beads of sweat formed on her brow as she forced her threads to grow. His animalistc power was still coursing over her, but he could only keep up this amount of power for a little bit longer. She watched as a bead of sweat rolled down his temple. But still his coy smiled remained.

"Ah, so much fun." She clamped her mouth tighter as she tried to hold her concentration. How was he talking!? She could barely grunt in acknowledgment, much less think of a witty come back. She felt tiny burst start to climb up her arms. She didn't move her eyes but she knew there were black spots forming on her arms. Something caught her eye, as it moved behind him. His brows furrowed as he caught her in distraction. He pulled back some of his concentration and looked over his shoulder. His eyes widened.

"Xiyan!" The small girl ran her hand over the jar containing her mother, her lost blue eyes turned and looked at Xia. Katara stared at Xia and intensified her grip on him. He jerked his head around to glare at her his eyes wide.

"Xiyan, please go home." He yelled at the girl. The girl looked at him with begging eyes.

"Daddy..." Katara's heart felt like it stopped. He concentration faltered just long enough for him to regain his control over her. His eyes were locked on hers as she stared at him with wide eyes.

"Is she your..No. She's the one you cut..." Xia nodded.

"She is my daughter. The most beautiful creature in the world. That is all you need to know." Katara shook her head forcefully and brought her threads back on him like whips, but something was wrong, he didn't respond. She looked at him and quickly pulled her threads away. His eyes were wide in shock and he was breathing heavily. Katara's eyes dropped down to look at the small girl. Her tiny hand was wrapped around the end of a large needle that was driven into Xia's side. The girl's eyes flew open as she realized what she had done. She jerked the needle out, thowing it as hard as she could across the room. She threw herself away from her father and fell down to the floor crying in loud sobs.

Xia fell to his knees his eyes distant, he coughed and the blood that sprinkled his lip was bright in contrast to his pale skin. His body jolted as the toxins worked their way into his system. Katara stared with wide eyes. She had tears in her eyes, for a reason she couldn't describe, when the others poured into the room. Haru frowned and ran over to Xia as his body shook. He looked up at Katara with horrified eyes.

"Katara?! You!?" She shook her head and looked over to the little girl. Haru turned and looked at the girl as she screamed and tried to claw her own eyes out. He turned and looked back to Katara.

"Go comfort her!" He ordered the dumbstruck Katara. Xia fell to the ground. Haru frowned and rolled him over onto his back, the red stained dirt sticking to his mouth and nose where they were wet with blood. His body lurched as more blood spilled from his lips. His blue eyes focused and looked up at Haru. A weak smile crossed over his lips.

"Tr...Trinket..." His body jolted as the poison hit his heart. He closed his eyes and brought his hand up to touch Haru's face. "Never thought...see you're ...beautiful..face again..." Xia's hand fell away as rolled to his side, his body lurched spilling a large amount of blood from his mouth along with what looked like lung tissue. He tried to push himself up his arms shaking, but he fell face first back into the dirt. Haru grabbed him and rolled him back over. He turned and looked to Katara, who was holding the girl and staring at them.

"Can you help him!?"

"Haru! Are you out of your mind!?" Sokka yelled. "You can't possibly be wanting to save this bastard!" Zuko shook his head, his eyes just as shocked by the behavior as Sokka.

"After everything he put us through?!" Zuko growled his temper peaking out. Haru frowned and looked away from them and back to the man in his arms.

"He could have killed us. He could have kept me and raped me every night. He could have killed that child instead of keeping her. He could have done a lot of things, but he didn't. He killed that woman that cut you up, Sokka. Zuko, he could have easliy given you more sedative so that your sight didn't come back. "

"Who the fuck cares!?" Vitani growled. Kilani was the only one who watched without outrage. Haru shook his head as Xia started coughing. He looked down at Xia as he tried to talk.

"Take care ...Xiyan..please..." Haru turned and looked at the little girl. As if by cue the girl screamed out and tore from Katara's arms. She ran over and fell on Xia hugging him.

"Daddy! I'm sorry! Please be okay! Please! I'm sorry! I love you! DADDY!" She screamed into her father's chest as she hugged him. Xia's hand came up and stroked his daughter's hair, but his body lurched and his hand fell limply to the ground, his head rolling to the side. Xiyan sat back and looked at her father. The little girl was covered in her father's blood. Xia's chest rose and fell as his last breath left his body. Xiyan screamed and grabbed her father. Haru gently pushed the man out of his lap and pulled the little girl to him. He stood up his arms wrapped tight around her. He walked with her over and let Katara take her. As Katara stood up she caught Haru's eyes.

"You could have helped him." Katara shook her head.

"He d..deserve it." Haru shook his head.

"I guess this little girl deserve it, too." Katara frowned as tears streamed down her eyes.

"Don't make me the bad guy, Haru!" Haru frowned and looked down at the little girl who was crumbling to the floor. He shook his head and turned his back on her. He knew Xia was a bad person, but still there were always good qualities to someone. She could have helped him long enough for his child to say good bye, and for him to at least tell the little girl he loved her. She didn't have to save his life, but she could have prolonged it. She didn't even try. Haru cussed himself inwardly. He couldn't blame Katara. He shouldn't blame her. It wasn't right. He took a deep breath. He really didn't know what was right anymore. Zuko walked over to them, Sokka behind him, Aang the last. The twins and Toph stood back in the doorway and tried to understand what had just happened. Zuko put his hand on Haru's shoulder, and Sokka put his on the other. Katara felt her senses start coming back to her. She fell down and wrapped her arms around the girl. Xiyan's tears subsided a little and she pushed back from Katara. She walked over and wrapped her arms around Haru's legs. He ran his hand over her hair and watched her blue eyes turn to look up at him.

"Can we bury my daddy?" That was all Haru could stand. He fell down and wrapped the girl in his arms. He forced his tears back.

"Yes. We'll bury your father." Katara walked over and touched the little girl's shoulder. She didn't try to hide the tears rolling down her face.

"We'll all help." Xiyan tears started up again as she fell into Haru's arms. She wailed, trying to sink into his chest.

"I didn't mean to hurt him! I didn't! Daddy. I'm sorry!" Her screams rang through the halls. Echoing through the corridor. They all bowed their heads as she screamed. The wails found ears, that had yet to learn of the dark events that had transipred. Denivian stopped and turned his head. Rei looked up from where she sat against the wall. They listened to the cries. And with those mournful howls, they knew. Although they would never know the details of their brother's death, they both bowed their heads.

"From your body, our brother, life shall come again..."

**THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER! One more after this. The epilogue. Now all of my readers, I want to know what you felt, what you thought, and how this chapter left you feeling.**


	30. Chapter 30

Last Chapter. Nobody cry now. Remember I still have other storys and about five new ones in outline.

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Vitani growled as Katara and his brother forced him to the ground. Kilani sat straddling his brother's waist holding pinning his shoulder to the ground. Zuko held down one ankle as the man thrashed.

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" Kilani shook his head. He let out a aggravated breath and looked down at his brother.

"Be still!" Toph shook her head, the pebbles around her ready for the slew of bad words.

"You two move." Zuko arched his eyebrow, and Kilani was skeptical but they both did as they were told. As they moved the Earth pulled up over Vitani's wrists, shoulders chest, and twice over his legs. The hell in his yellow eyes would have set Toph ablaze, had looks killed. He was strapped firmly to the ground. Kilani sat at one side, and Katara at the other. Teo, who had rejoined them on the ground along with the Duke, Momo, and Appa, rolled up and looked down at the man. Vitani narrowed his eyes and stuck out his still spliced tongue.

"What are you looking at Wheely?" Toph eye's shot open as a huge smile crossed over her face.

"Wheely! I love that!" Sokka frowned and glared at Toph. He curled up his nose and turned his eyes to look at Vitani. He stuck his tongue out in disgust as Katara tried to free a piece of charred skin. He smiled as Teo handed him his boomerang. He grabbed it and hugged it close to his chest.

"Oh my poor rangie, I've missed you so much! Are you okay!" He said kissing the handle. Aang shook his head, it wouldn't take long for Sokka to be Sokka again. HE moved his eyes to look over at Haru; he was a different story, though. Aang jumped out of his thought when a shriek erupted from the cooked fire bender. Vitani growled as they once again tore the blackened skin off of his arms. Kilani shook his head as peeled back a large piece of burnt skin.

"What did you do this time? How on earth did you manage to burn you're entire arms?" Vitani rolled his eyes and let his head fall the the side as he tried to grit through the pain. His eyes settled on two figures standing fifty foot away. He narrowed his eyes as he watched Haru.

Haru's eyes were set blankly on the Xia's form. Denivian had found them as they were deciding on what to do with the body. He suggested burying his brother in the garden. He didn't seem angered, but confused. He had carried his brother's body out to the garden, through the tomb, that had turned out to be an exit after all.

Xiyan clung to Haru's arm, her eyes still wide, but her tears had dried. Denivian stood on the other side of the grave and looked at his niece. He blinked his yellow eyes and turned to look at the gold eyes staring at them. One half of the fire nation's best kept secret blinked into the night. Denivian let out a breath and knelt down next to his brother's corpse. He picked up the wrapped body and stepped down into the grave. He set him gently on the ground. He stood up and looked at Xiyan at eye level.

"Fire to the soul..." Xiyan's face covered in sorrow.

"Water to the flesh..." She chirped. Denivan closed his eyes.

"Air to the mind..." Xiyan closed her eyes as well as one last tear fell from her small eyes.

"Earth to the heart..." She said softly and met her uncle's eyes.

"And death to the wicked." They said together. Haru felt a sharp breath fill his lungs at the two completed their death mantra in unison. Denivian pulled a jeweled ring from his finger, and the small girl pulled a chain off of her neck that held the same ring. Denivian took it and placed them on his brother's chest. He pushed himself back out of the grave, and without turning to give it a final look, shook his head.

"Cover it." Haru closed his eyes and sent his hands over the grave, sealing the earth over the maniacal doctor.

Denivian flipped his coin over his back and shook his head again, trying to shake the feeling out of his mind. He watched as Katara and Kilani continued to clear Vitani. He shook his head and knelt down unlacing his boot. He pulled a scalpel from a small pocket inside and pulled the cloth off of the razor edge. He walked over and handed the tool down to Katara. She looked up at him and took it warily.

"My brother isn't the only doctor in the family." Kilani's eyes jolted up and the four ex-prisoners froze. Denivian shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Well, at least he wasn't." With that he turned and without another word walked off.

Haru watched as the odd youth walked off, and looked down at Xiyan. She looked up at him and blinked her large blue eyes.

"You were Trinket, right?" Haru blinked a little taken back by her question. He nodded down at the young girl. She pulled a ribbon from her hair and unfolded the braid, she pulled a small child-sized dagger out of the folds of hair. She looked up at him and held it out. He looked down at her with a frown. She smiled at him weakly and forced it into his hand. She turned and looked after her uncle. She looked back at him once and then ran to catch up with her relative. He frowned and looked down at the delicately carved blade. He turned it over and frowned at the inscription.

"The most precious treasure, most see as a trinket." He read out loud and closed his eyes. He shuttered and let the blade fall from his hand. He walked over and joined his friends welcomed by the sound of Vitani's colorful language and choice names for Katara and his brother. Vitani was going to have an very bad headache from the pebbles constantly hitting him on the head.

"Well you did it to yourself!" Katara growled as finished exposing the pink and white sticky flesh. Kilani looked over at her when he peeled the rest of the char off on the other arm. Katara frowned, now was the hard part. She looked at him and pushed the scalpel down into his wrist. He let out a string of curses that would make the nastiest of prison guard blush. The bright blood lit the surface. Katara looked with worried eyes to Vitani.

"Where are the metal balls?" Vitani took a deep breath and let it out in a stringy hiss. He closed his eyes. "Dive in between the tendons and just dig the damn thing out." She drew in a breath and looked down at the mess. She pushed two fingers into the wound and moved them around until the tips ran over a warm solid object. She moved her fingers and hooked them under ball.

"FOR SPIRITS SAKE WOMAN! FUCK!" She jumped as Vitani yelled spilling blood and metal sphere out of the wound, but in doing so she caught a tendon and snapped his hand closed bringing another curse upon her name. Kilani shook his head.

"No offense, Katara but let me try." She frowned and dropped the scalpel in his hand. He wrapped his hand around it as she started to heal the other arm. He looked into his reflection in flesh and narrowed his eyes.

"Where?"

"Wrist, knees, elbows, collar." Kilnai nodded. He looked down at the bend of the wrist and quickly jerked the scalpel across, dropping it just as quick. He shot a finger into the slit and hooked his finger around the ball, he pushed it up, stopping just before he jerked a tendon. He pulled his hand out and picked up that scalpel. He moved up to the bend of his brother's arm.

"Zuko, wrap his wrist until Katara can get to it." He said as he pushed the metal ball out. Katara stared as the man moved relatively quickly. She looked down as the skin knit under her fingers.

"How do you know where they are so well?" Kilani's eyes didn't leave his brother's as he moved down to his brother's leg.

"It's on long story, but when he burnt himself, I could feel the center of the burn. It's a twin thing."

"Ah." Katara said not knowing what he was talking about, but really not wanting to push the subject.

"I don't mean to rush things along, but I was just thinking. . ." Sokka said from a considerably safe distance away. He knew once the man got use of his fire again, there would be roasting. "Didn't we just bury the village's only doctor, and the man that they have helped for years, and on top of that they love him? It won't take long for them to figure out what happened, and I don't thin they are going to like us much." Teo nodded.

"He has a point, I think we should leave as quick as we can." Momo jumped onto the boy's shoulder and chirped in agreement. Kilani stood up as he threw the last metal ball away from them. Katara was now working on healing Vitani's legs. He picked his mask up off of the ground.

"That is true. We need to be going as well, we still have to complete our mission." Aang's eyes darted over to the man. He hadn't moved from his place beneath the tree, as the healing and the burial took place.

"Just what kind of mission do you have?" Zuko frowned at the avatar and looked over to watch the twins warily. Kilani's face softened as he absently ran his fingers through is brother's hair.

"Now why do I hear suspicion in your voice?" Aang shook his head.

"I recognize the masks, from a former life. I know what you are." Vitani laughed and shook his head.

"What we 'were' you mean." Zuko frowned and shook his head.

"What? You are sworn by blood to the Fire Lord."

"No." The twins said at the same time. Toph shivered and stomped her foot sending a pebble to hit both of them.

"Don't do that." Kilani smiled at her, knowing she couldn't see it and turned to look back at Zuko.

"We are not tied to the Fire Lord but to the royal family. And well..."

"We were given a mission we couldn't accept." Vitani said as he sat up, the rocks crumbling, thanks to Toph, off of him. Katara moved and started healing the deep wound on his collar. Haru looked up at them out of an almost trance like state.

"What kind of mission?"

"Search and destroy." Kilani said as his brother stood up. Vitani worked his arms over and his legs, stretching the healed new skin. Zuko looked away and his eyes met the Avatar, both of their minds thinking the same, but with themselves at the business end of an ax. Kilani handed his brother his mask.

"We must leave now." They covered their faces. And stopped as if waiting for something. Sokka frowned as they all stood in an accidental circle, Aang joining them.

"Thank you for the help." Sokka said. Haru nodded.

"Yes, we wouldn't have made it out alive." Zuko nodded as well. He looked over to small village.

"We should leave now." The gang nodded in agreement, and they started walking to the village. Sokka stopped, and turned to look at Toph. She hadn't moved. He frowned and walked over to her.

"Toph...are you okay?" She blinked and squared her shoulders.

"This is where we part ways." Katara and Aang both snapped their heads around to stare wide eyed at the blind girl. Haru and Zuko looked at each other down to Teo and the Duke then turned to look with arched eyebrows at Toph. Sokka shook his head.

"What? What do you mean?" Toph took a step back between the twins.

"I'm going to travel with them." Aang blinked.

"But I need you." Toph shook her head with a small smile.

"No you don't. You have your training, and Rocky is one of the best Earth bender's I know, besides myself." She said motioning in what she thought was Haru's direction. Katara ran over to her and grabbed the blind girl's shoulders.

"We need you Toph." Toph shook her head.

"I know, but I'll still be fighting along side the twins and the revolt within the inner workings of the Fire Nation." Zuko's eyes looked over at the twins, but through their masks couldn't read their expressions. Sokka's mouth was hanging open and no words would come from his lips. He squeaked a few times before he managed to put a sentence together.

"What...?!" Toph blinked in a frown. She knew they wouldn't take this easy, but she had already made her decision.

"I was a student, and you took me from that and let me teach, but I don't want to be a student or a teacher any more. I want to grow in my powers through training, and actual use." Sokka shook his head.

"You are crazy! You have absolutely lost your mind! They brain washed you didn't they!?" Toph laughed.

"Snoozles, calm down. I just want to be random. You'll see me again, I can't say that I'll see you, but I'll probably be able to smell you." Katara smiled and held back a laugh even though she had tears misting over her eyes. The twins heads turned to a noise coming up the hill.

"Time to go, if you are coming." Toph nodded. They turned without a further word and ran into the mists. Sokka shook his head.

"OH no you don't!" He yelled and took off after them boomerang held high. Teo smiled and shook his head as Sokka was thrown back to the ground at their feet from a wave of Earth. He sat up and crossed his arms over his chest. "Not fair." Aang shook his head. The fire nation seemed to be stealing everything as he turned to see Katara gently touch Zuko's shoulder. They began walking down through the village, but they didn't get very far when they came face to torch with a group of fairly upset villagers. Haru threw up a slab of earth and Aang blew out the torches; as he did so he tossed the whistle to the Duke. With a shrill pitch only Appa could hear, the large bison was in the air above them in a matter of seconds. Haru threw his hands down shooting the earth under Teo, Katara and Zuko up. They jumped onto Appa and pulled Teo on, Momo safely in tow. Sokka jumped on as Haru them forced the earth up beneath himself. Aang dropped to his knees and the Duke jumped on his shoulders before he blasted himself up and onto the beast.

"Yip Yip." Katara looked out over the valley as it shrank into the distance. She shook her head.

"I can't believe Toph left us." Sokka frowned and kicked his feet.

"I can't believe that you didn't protest more! You could have made her stay!" Zuko looked over at Sokka then laughed. Katara and Aand both nearly jumped off of Appa.

"I didn't know you could laugh?" Teo said sarcastically. Zuko shook his head with a smile and ignored them. He turned to look at Sokka.

"You think you could have actually made her stay? She had her mind made up." Sokka let out a puff of defeat and shook his head.

"I could have tried." the Duke smiled.

"You did. And got knocked on your ass." Katara frowned and looked over at the youngest member of their party.

"Watch your mouth." the Duke only shrugged.

"Well it's true."

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The villagers gathered around the grave, but weren't long before they drifted off back to their homes. Though in the dark, shadowed in the trees a figure watched them. As the last mourner disappeared, he began to walk. Slowly his heavy boots crushed the grass beneath his feet. He stopped where th first earth was disturbed for the grave. One swift motion and he bent down picking up the coin. He wrapped his gloved finger's around the gold and stood up.

"Don't worry, little Dex, big brother's here now."

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**Thank you to all of those that read this story, and a special thanks to those of you that have reviewed. You don't realize how much that your reviews have meant to me. With this story I have found a new style. Through all of the guts and gore of this story, ya'll have stuck with it. I just have one last request to all of my readers, if you don't review any other chapter, review this one. Let me know what you think, thought and everything. I don't care if it is just to tell me how crazy I am, or disturbed, whatever. Let me know. (i love fat juicy reviews, but i'm not picky)**


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